Crime Correspondent: Derbyshire

Nicholas Conway, Martin Maguire and John Heffernan jailed for a combined 20 years and eight months after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Nicholas Conway, Martin Maguire and John Heffernan had been the subject of a covert police operation which saw officers working with colleagues in Holland. Over a two-year period, police observed drug dealers in both countries and tapped their phones in a bid to build up enough intelligence to arrest them. The gang was eventually caught after police heard conversations about a shipment of cocaine being brought into the country. Officers stopped a van being driven by Conway on the A50 in Derbyshire, on November 9, 2006, and found an industrial drill part, which contained the drug. Yesterday, Conway, Maguire and Heffernan were jailed for a combined 20 years and eight months after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine. fourth man, pensioner Gordon Watkinson, denied conspiring to supply cocaine but admitted possessing money gained through criminal means after he was caught with a large quantity of cash at Luton Airport. He was jailed for two years. Another man from the Derby area, Liam Traynor, who was based in Rotterdam, Holland, and was said to be one of the masterminds behind the operation, is currently serving a prison sentence in the Netherlands for his involvement in the smuggling ring. In sentencing the British-based quartet at Nottingham Crown Court, Judge Andrew Hamilton told them: “This was a serious and sophisticated importation of drugs in the UK, carried out by a gang. “You were all intent on assisting in bringing the drugs into Derby so they could be sold on the streets of Derby. “The British police have worked very closely with the Dutch police to bring you all to justice.” The court heard that Conway, 38, of Trusley Brook, Hilton, and Maguire, 37, of Leman Street, Derby, were best friends and had assisted Traynor. The drill had been filled with tiny packages of cocaine and sealed before being shipped to the UK and a building site in Coventry where Heffernan, 31, of Sandalwood Close, Alvaston, was working. Conway then collected the drill in his van and was driving back to Derby when officers swooped. They discovered nearly 3kg of the drug in the part, with a street value of up to £120,000. Maguire was described by the judge as the “chief organiser” in the operation, as there was evidence indicating he had been speaking to Traynor in the lead-up to the shipment. The operation also led police to arrest Watkinson, 73, whose last address was in Antibes, France, close to where Traynor was also know to reside on occasions. He was caught with £30,000 in cash at the airport. Andrew Peet, prosecuting, said: “It's agreed that £10,000 of that £30,000 belonged to and was destined for Liam Traynor and it was drugs money.” Maguire was jailed for seven years and Conway and Heffernan for six years and nine months each. Their defence counsels said they had never been involved in the drugs business before and that, in the cases of Conway and Heffernan, they were being used simply as “couriers”. Traynor, whose last known UK address was in Ashbourne, is currently serving a 30-month sentence in Holland. Dutch nationals Rene Van Dijk and Iler Halilaj are also serving prison terms of two years, eight months and two years respectively. Judge Hamilton branded the terms handed out by the Dutch courts as “ludicrously lenient” but pointed out that, unlike in the UK where it is normal for prisoners to serve half their sentences behind bars and the rest out on licence, in Holland the whole sentence is served behind bars. Traynor's father, Lawrence, who was also arrested during the police investigation but failed to answer bail, is currently on the run. Police believe he is in the Far East. After the hearing, Acting Detective Inspector Paul Wood, of Derbyshire police, said: “We're very pleased with the sentences. “It was a fantastic operation with co-operation and collaboration with a number of British and European law enforcement agencies.” Although they admitted conspiracy to supply, Conway, Maguire and Heffernan all denied conspiracy to import cocaine. Conway and Maguire also denied conspiracy to supply and conspiracy to import amphetamines, and Conway denied possessing a weapon – a CS gas cannister. The judge ordered the charges to lie on the file. Meanwhile, Watkinson, who denied both conspiracy to supply and import cocaine, was found not guilty of both charges.

Nicholas Conway, Martin Maguire and John Heffernan jailed for a combined 20 years and eight months after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Nicholas Conway, Martin Maguire and John Heffernan had been the subject of a covert police operation which saw officers working with colleag...