Lambeth drug dealing gang who netted more than £1million sentenced to jail for total of 20 years

Five people who made a total of £1million from drug dealing have been jailed for a total of 20 years for pushing cocaine and heroin in Lambeth.

Four of the defendants, Zachary Steele, Zoe Hughes, Andrew Jackson and Dexter Steele appeared at Woolwich Crown Court on Wednesday, 22 April and were sentenced as follows:

Zachary Steele [aka ‘Pimpy’]: 31, of Lewisham High Street, SE13 was charged on 2 May 2019 with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering. He was sentenced to a total of five-and-a-half years’ imprisonment.

Zoe Hughes: 26, of Matlock Gardens, Cheam was charged on 3 May 2019 with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering. She was sentenced to a total of four years’ imprisonment.

Andrew Jackson: 31, of Tintern Street, SW4 was charged on 2 May 2019 with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A. He was sentenced to a total of five years and three months’ imprisonment.

Dexter Steele: 46, of Lyham Road, SW2 was charged on 2 May 2019 with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A. He was sentenced to a total of two years and three months’ imprisonment.

Michelle Ives: 27, of Brighton Terrace, SW9 was charged on 2 May with two counts of conspiracy to supply class A. She was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Thursday, 23 April to three years’ imprisonment.

Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime division launched an investigation into the organised crime group in January 2019. The gang were seen by officers to be operating a large scale class A supply chain from a Honda Civic which was owned and driven by Zoe Hughes.

On a typical day, the organised daily supply of heroin and cocaine would begin at 09:00hrs through to 04:00hrs the following day, providing an almost constant supply of illegal substances.

The overwhelming evidence presented in court proved that the gang had been in operation for more than two years netting an estimated figure of around £1million per year.

All five were arrested on 1 May 2019. At the time of the arrests, searches of address and associated vehicles were conducted during which officers seized £10,000 at the home of Zachary Steele, and £1,000 in coins from his car.

The discovery of a further car key resulted in the find of 128 wraps of crack cocaine with a street value of £2,560 and 301 wraps of heroin with a street value of £3,010.

All of the defendants, except Ives, pleaded guilty from the outset.

On Monday, 17 February the trial against Michelle Ives commenced at Woolwich Crown Court. The jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict on all counts on Friday, 21 February.

All five defendants were initially remanded in custody for sentencing, but Ives was later released on bail.

Detective Constable Martin Reader, said: “Drugs were ordered by customers on a dedicated mobile phone line. When manning the phone line Zoe Hughes would call herself ‘Stacey’ and Zachary Steele would use the name Apple or Apps. The drugs would then be delivered at low visibility meeting places to the buyers.

“The supply was delivered on a pretty much constant basis, effectively around the clock. This was an organised and successful trade, pushing out large quantities of drugs and pulling in large sums of money while the negativity and crime associated with drug use and supply was borne by local communities.

“The high level of organisation involved in the gang’s activities demonstrated how positive their effect could have been had they channeled their efforts into legal pathways. Something they will have time to reflect on as they begin their sentences.”