It all came to an end when police found large buckets of cannabis in the boot of a car
Sophie Fagone Buscimese Trainee Reporter
13:44, 15 Mar 2026
Evis Zogu led the gang’s operation while Henry Raisbeck co-ordinated the supply(Image: Derbyshire Police)
A major drugs supply operation in Derbyshire which operated on Snapchat has resulted in 17 people being jailed.
The gang mainly used the social media app to sell their drugs and operated on a collection and delivery service. Social media was also used by the group to run competitions and give away freebies.
The leader of the conspiracy was Evis Zogu who sourced large amounts of the cannabis that was sold.
Henry Raisbeck, Thomas Soler and Samuel Dixon worked alongside him, co-ordinating the supply and distribution of Class A and B drugs into Creswell from Nottinghamshire.
Stephen Newton was used as a driver and enforcer for those higher up the chain, while Claire Whittaker is the partner of Davey Holmes and helped him with the supply side of the business.
The conspiracy came to light in October 2020 when officers attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle in Skinner Street, Creswell.
The car failed to stop and drove dangerously before crashing in Duchess Street.
The group was operating a collection and delivery service for class A drugs.(Image: Derbyshire Constabulary)
Driver Alex Hall and passenger Kieran Birnie fled the scene but officers then found three large buckets containing five kilos of cannabis worth between £22,200 and £27,000 in the boot of the car.
After the crash, Jay Hall, brother of Alex Hall, made a 999 call to police claiming he was the driver of the car and that the contents belonged to him.
He was arrested later that evening but enquiries went on to show this was a lie and Jay Hall was in the pub all night.
This incident led to the downfall of the group’s supply empire as members began to try and sell more drugs to recoup the losses made when the car crashed.
This, however, led to fractions and the group arguing with threats being made.
Throughout all this, the drug supply continued and further arrests and seizures were made.
In January 2021, Davey Holmes, Michael Cooper, Damien Wyatt and Craig Wyatt were arrested in Bradford after being found in possession of cannabis valued at between £1,400 and £1,700 as well as cash.
In February 2021, police stopped a BMW at the Tesco service station in Mill View Way, Clowne.
Driver Leroy Wyatt and passenger Davey Holmes were arrested after being found in possession of a large quantity of cannabis, cash and an offensive weapon they had strategically placed down the side of the passenger seat.
These arrests led to the search of a property in Duke Street, Creswell which was where the group stashed their drugs.
At that property, Craig Wyatt and Leon Lander were arrested with cannabis, cannabis edibles and cocaine, with a total value of £21,360 being found.
A few days after, on February 19, 2021, a member of the public called police to say a cannabis grow at a property in Church Street, Creswell was being harvested.
Officers attended and found a half-harvested grow. It later became apparent that some members of the group had stolen cannabis from the others to try and recoup their losses.
Investigations then led to another address in Duke Street, Creswell, where Nicolla Eccleston and Simon Dykes were arrested.
All were subsequently charged and have been sentenced to the following:
Evis Zogu, 37, of Whaley Common, Whaley, Mansfield – conspiracy to supply class B drugs and possession with intent to supply cocaine – jailed for eight years and six monthsHenry Raisbeck, 34, of Hardwick Road East, Worksop – conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and possession with intent to supply cocaine – jailed for six years and two monthsDavey Holmes, 28, of Elmton Road, Creswell – conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, two counts of possession of A drugs with intent to supply and supplying Class B drugs – jailed for 12 yearsThomas Soler, 28, of Raines Avenue, Worksop – conspiracy to supply class B drugs – jailed for two years suspended for two yearsSamuel Dixon, 29, of Swift End Close, Worksop – conspiracy to supply class B drugs – jailed for two years suspended for two yearsAlex Hall, 28, of Church Street, Creswell – conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and dangerous driving – jailed for five years and six monthsJay Hall, 31, of Church Street, Creswell – conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs and perverting the course of justice – jailed for three years and six monthsLeroy Wyatt, 41, of Godfrey’s Court, Worksop – conspiracy to supply Class B – jailed for two years and six monthsDamien Wyatt, 35, of Brecks Road, Retford – conspiracy to supply class B drugs – jailed for 12 monthsCraig Wyatt, 39, of Sandhill Street, Worksop – conspiracy to supply Class a B drugs – jailed for 30 monthsLeon Lander, 31, of Duke Street, Creswell – conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs – jailed for 27 monthsMichael Cooper, 34, of Church Street, Creswell – conspiracy to supply Class B drugs – jailed for 14 months, suspended for two yearsStephen Newton, 47, of Portland Avenue, Creswell – conspiracy to supply Class B drugs – jailed for 27 monthsKieron Birnie, 28, of Hazelby Road, Creswell – conspiracy to supply Class B drugs – jailed for 15 months, suspended for two yearsClaire Whittaker, 41, of Laurel Close, Shirebrook – conspiracy to supply Class B drugs – community order with 120 hours unpaid workNicola Eccleston, 29, of Duke Street, Creswell – possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply, two counts of supplying a Class A drug, supplying a Class B drug and possession of criminal property – community order with 100 hours unpaid work and rehabilitation activitySimon Dykes, 35, of no fixed address – possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to supply, two counts of supplying a Class A drug and supplying a Class B drug – jailed for 36 months
PC Helen Ward, who led the investigation, said: “This group were responsible for the distribution and sale of a large quantity of drugs in Derbyshire so I am pleased they have now been brought to justice for their crimes.
“Drugs have a massive impact on our communities so it is vital that criminal activity from groups such as this is disrupted and the group dismantled.
“We would ask anyone with any information on drug dealing in their area to please contact us and let us know. Together we can work to get criminals like this off our streets.”
