Drugs gang leader who sent 23,000 texts jailed

A drugs gang leader, who sent more than 23,000 text messages to users in six months in which police said he arranged supplies of Class A drugs, has been jailed.

Ricardo Samuels, 34, from Hambledon Close in Wolverhampton, ran a drug line worth about £94,000, West Midlands Police said.

He was jailed for two years and six months at the city's crown court, after pleading guilty to three charges of conspiracy to supply.

Samuels ran the line with the help of his girlfriend Kimberley Preece, 35, and Michael Ferringo, 33, who acted as a courier, police said. They were both given suspended prison sentences.

The sentences came after an investigation sparked by analysis of mobile phone data around cocaine supplies in Wolverhampton, a spokesperson said.

The work revealed the number supplied messages to known drug users, referring to the availability of cocaine, zopiclone and MDMA.

Detectives found Samuels owned the phone and had sent 23,749 text messages to users.

The three were arrested when warrants were carried out in August and Samuels "climbed out of his bedroom window in a vain bid to evade our officers", police said.

Ferringo, of Chapel Ash in Wolverhampton, and Preece, from Catisfield Crescent in the city, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Preece was jailed for 22 months, suspended for two years, with conditions that she attend 30 activity days, carry out 200 hours unpaid work and be subject to a five-month monitoring order.

Ferringo was jailed for 21 months, suspended for two years, with conditions that he attend 10 activity days, carry out 150 hours' unpaid work and be subject to a four-month monitoring order.

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