
A Mapperley man was part of a gang jailed for more than 30 years after a £5.5million drugs haul was discovered in Nottinghamshire.
Ninety-seven litres of liquid amphetamine was seized by officers in June 2015 after they intercepted a van at junction 27 of the M1, in Annesley, Nottinghamshire.
The drug was being transported in the rear of the van and was concealed inside ten tins of varnish.
Shane Bird, 48, from Woodborough Road, in Mapperley, who had been recruited as a “fixer” to find a chemist to convert the liquid amphetamine and as a courier to transport the drugs, was among those detained following the find.
Driver Lee Hill was arrested at the scene.
The drugs, estimated to have a street value of £5.5 million, were traced back to Holland.
Edward Rooney and Mir Baz were subsequently identified as being responsible for the importation and arrested.
At a previous hearing Rooney and Baz pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import Class B drugs to the UK. Hill pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.
Following a trial, Bird was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. He was jailed for eight years and six months.
On Tuesday 9 May 2016, at Derby Crown Court, the following men were also sentenced:
Edward Rooney, aged 53, of Bestwood Road, in Bulwell, Nottingham, was jailed for 10 years.
Mir Baz, aged 44, of Ferrar Lane in Oulton, Leeds, was jailed for seven years and four months.
Lee Hill, aged 41, of Lynncroft, in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, jailed for six years.
Detective Inspector Keith Priest, of EMSOU, said: “These convictions are the result of an in-depth inquiry into international drugs trafficking, which spanned a number of months.
“The hard work of the officers involved has not only put a major dent into the operations of this particular organised crime group, but also prevented a significant amount of drugs from reaching the streets of Nottinghamshire.”