Career criminal ran family drugs gang in Telford

The 39-year-old was said to have a record with 25 previous convictions and was responsible for his wife, brother and sister being involved in a conspiracy police believe sold more than £200,000 worth of drugs.

Dubbed the "Bushell Group" by investigating officers, there were more than a dozen people operating in the Hadley and Wellington areas of Telford sourcing, processing and selling the drugs over an 18-month period.

They were all sentenced yesterday to a total of 55 years and were the final block out of around 35 people arrested during a wider drugs inquiry by West Mercia police, codenamed Operation Sift.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Philip Parker QC said: "The country despises drug dealers. They prey on people's weaknesses and spread, not just the drugs, but crime, addiction, debt and general misery and this case also reveals how families are broken by drug abuse."

Using a variety of tactics, including undercover officers, visual and video surveillance, audio recordings and the analysis of a large number of mobile phones, officers unearthed the Class A drugs plot.

Both Robert Bushell, of Riven Road, Hadley, and his brother, Neil, of Westbourne, Woodside, formerly Far Vallens, Hadley, were at the top of the chain, and Robert Bushell's wife Melanie and her son Sean Thompson, also of Riven Road, were brought down by the conspiracy.

Houses in Riven Road and Ercall Gardens in the Hadley area were used to supply drugs, a property in Market Street, Wellington, was a known source of drugs, and deals were orchestrated from Redlands Road, the home of the Bushell's sister, Sally, and her partner of 13 years, Stuart Waterhouse, now of Station Hill, Oakengates.

Out on the street, long-time drug addict 50-year-old Bernadette Stewart, of Ercall Gardens, Wellington, was on the frontline and was picked off by undercover officer "Tony" whose expertise enabled him to become a regular and trusted customer.

In addition Stewart was operating a separate supply line with Matthew Thompson, who lived in Market Street, Wellington, from where drugs were collected.

Stewart and her husband Graham, also an addict, both have previous convictions for supplying Class A drugs, and he was aware of his wife's "thriving business" and allowed dealing in his home at Ercall Gardens, Hadley, on a number of occasions.

Melanie Bushell also allowed dealing in her home at Riven Road but was said to have been under pressure from her husband and was alleged to have been in an abusive relationship.

Sally Bushell was also said to have been under pressure within the family enterprise, but had control of the main customer phone during part of the period of the conspiracy.

Others in the gang, Kenneth Hogg, of Hurleybrook Way, Leegomery, Liam Riggs, of Chirbury, Stirchley, John Gough, of Mill Bank, Wellington, and Lee Moseley, of Buildwas Road, Wellington, were all involved in numerous "drug drops" to either fund their own addiction, or pay off drug debts to the Bushells.

Dozens of pay-as-you-go phones were recovered at various times by police, but the main customer phone was renewed by the Bushells through the network provider on at least two occasions, having been recovered following the arrest of some of the street dealers, to ensure the supply line continued.

It was the analysis of calls and texts and the tracking of the locations and movement of the phones that provided vital evidence for police.

The vital customer phone was linked to Robert Bushell after he topped-up the credit at a supermarket. Detectives were able to trace the transaction to Telford town centre and he was captured on CCTV at the Asda petrol station.

Neil Bushell was also connected to the same phone number when it was recovered by police when Waterhouse and Hogg were stopped in a Peugeot car and arrested in possession of quantities crack cocaine and heroin.

During the two-day hearing at Birmingham Crown Court some details of police operation were given and short extracts of video footage of three cars used by Moseley, a Rover used by Riggs and a moped owned by Sean Thompson and also used by Waterhouse, to deliver drugs.

A derelict pub, the Old Shawbirch, in Telford, was a frequently used "drop" location when drugs were sold to "Tony" which he was able to capture on camera.

The dealers also used a derelict outbuilding known as "Tim's Shed" adjacent to a leisure centre in Victoria Road close to Wellington town centre.

Applications for confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act were made in respect of 11 of the defendants which will be considered in September.