Fallout from Shrewsbury drugs conspiracy drags on as hearings are delayed
Proceedings to recover illegal profits made by drug dealers who preyed on Shrewsbury addicts have been delayed by a host of issues.
A hearing was due to take place at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Friday under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to compel members of a Shrewsbury class A drugs conspiracy to pay back some of the money they made.
The three members of the conspiracy due in the dock were Kelly Carter, 34, Zac Dillon, 27, and Dean 'Denga' Pritchard, 28.
But because of three unfortunate coincidences, none of the defendants attended and the hearing had to be put back to March 22.
The court heard that Carter, previously of Telford, had tested positive for coronavirus so was not brought to court.
Dillon, of no fixed address, was due to appear over video link from prison but there was no response when counsel tried to start the link.
And Pritchard, formerly of Sandown Road in Liverpool, was not represented by a lawyer and wasn't brought to court, said prosecutor Mr Graham Russell.
Referring to the video link issues, Judge Anthony Lowe pointedly asked to check "we are in 2021?"
The frustrated judge said that he might "cease to exist" before the conspiracy case concludes.
Carter, Dillon and Pritchard were three of seven people who ran a drugs conspiracy in Shrewsbury, peddling heroin and cocaine from the homes of vulnerable people. It was masterminded by criminals in Liverpool and it was broken up in 2015 after police tracked several journeys the conspirators made between Shropshire and Merseyside.
A series of convictions followed and all seven were jailed in 2019, for a total of more than 36 years.
Last year the court heard that the two brothers who ran the conspiracy benefited by more than £400,000.
