Heroin and cocaine drug gang handed jail sentences

Members of a county lines drugs gang who brought "misery to the streets of Derby" by supplying heroin and crack cocaine have been handed jail sentences.

Derbyshire Police said Operation Birnam - which was part of an investigation into the "M/Emz" county line drug dealing operation - found Millen O'Donnell was supplying drugs in Derby and Amber Valley.

O'Donnell was identified as the main controller of the gang, while Jonathan Wilson, Rosco Cyster, Daryl Hudson and Mark Carlin were drug runners, police said.

All five men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine between 1 March 2025 and 27 January this year, and were handed jail terms at Derby Crown Court.

Cyster also pleaded guilty to blackmail, which police said was in relation to repeatedly demanding a man paid him £12,000 or he would come to harm.

Officers said O'Donnell orchestrated those below him into deal drugs while arranging for them to stay in bed and breakfast hotels.

They were supplying drugs in Derby's West End and Stockbrook, as well as Heanor, Ripley, Langley Mill, Loscoe and Codnor in Amber Valley.

The prison sentences given to the men on 14 September were:

• Rosco Cyster, 20, of no fixed abode: Four years

• Millen O'Donnell, 22, of Grange Gardens, in Heanor: Three years and nine months

• Mark Carlin, 44, of no fixed abode: 18 months

• Jonathan Wilson, 38, of Charnwood Street, Derby: 18 months

• Daryl Hudson, 48, of Moor Lane, Kirk Langley: 18 months suspended for two years

Officers said they seized a significant amount of suspected Class A drugs during the investigation.

They also examined mobile phones which showed the devices were being used to advertise and deal drugs.

Det Insp Chris Ford said: "This group's drug dealing activities brought misery to the streets of Derby but they have all been brought to justice now thanks to the considerable efforts of the investigation team.

"This case should act as a warning to other county lines gangs that we are watching you and the law will inevitable always catch up with you."

The force said there were several signs to look out for that could indicate someone was involved in a county lines gang.

This included having money, new clothes or electronic devices and not being able to explain how they were paid for, and getting a lot of texts or phone calls but being secretive about who they were speaking to.

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