West Norfolk gang members who smuggled and distributed illegal tobacco are jailed

Several members of a West Norfolk gang who smuggled and distributed illegal tobacco have been sentenced.It comes after a case was heard at Lynn Crown Court on February 21 following an HMRC-led investigation which found that hand-rolling tobacco was being purchased from Gibraltar, taken into Spain and then smuggled into various UK airports.Among those sentenced was Calvin Newson, 39, of Lynn Road, Hillington, who had been jailed for 13 years in September 2024, after being found to have been the leading member of an organised crime gang operating from a property in Lynn.

He was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, psilocybin (magic mushrooms) and ketamine following a three-week trial in June and July 2024.On February 21, Newson – along with a number of others – were sentenced for their involvement with the fraudulent evasion of duty relating to the tobacco offences.Newson received a three-year sentence in prison, to be served consecutively to his existing 13-year drug sentence. Meanwhile:- Georgia Miller, 27, of Lynn Road, Hillington, was jailed for 27 months – Kiril Montgomery, 36, of Tilney St Lawrence, was jailed for two years- Jamie Grange-Cook, 39, of no fixed address, was jailed for 16 months- Steve Kendle, 41, of Blackfriars Road, Lynn, was jailed for eight months – Adam Pryer, 41, of Lynn, was handed a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months- Courtney Hooks, 26, of Lynn, was handed a two-month prison sentence, suspended for nine months- Dawn Jay, 28, of Sahem Toney, near Watton, was issued with a Community Order for 12 months with 80 hours of unpaid workTwo further defendants appeared at Lynn Crown Court on March 3 and were sentenced for the same offence: – Benjamin Pegg, 37, of Watlington, was jailed for 11 months, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work- Rebecca Fisher, 30, of Watlington, was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid workThe case was heard at the same time that Miller was sentenced for another offence, having paid another person to take points on their driving licence as a result of a speeding offence.Miller had been charged with perverting the course of justice and was sentenced to eight months in prison – taking her total sentence to two years and 11 months. It came after an incident on September 17, 2023, when a Volkswagen Touran was caught speeding on the A14 in Barham, Suffolk.A letter was sent to the registered owner, Kendle, asking him to provide details of who was driving at the time of the offence.Miller’s mobile phone was being downloaded by officers as part of an unrelated investigation.It was during this download that officers saw messages between Kendle and Miller, discussing the speeding fine, as he had sent her a picture of the letter. Miller responded to Kendle, saying: “I’ll have to pay someone to say it was them, I can’t say it was me, I will get points, I’ve already done speed awareness.”Kendle replied saying: “Ok, you’ve got a few weeks to decide who.”Later that day, Kendle also sent Miller the evidential photos of the car at the time of the offence with a message stating “at least you can’t see who’s driving”.Checks confirmed that Miller had taken out car insurance for one week, starting on September 13, 2023. On October 19, 2023, Miller filled out the online form, stating the driver at the time of the offence had been Barry Pegg. She was interviewed in April 2024 and later charged with the offence.On February 21, Miller appeared at crown court and was sentenced to eight months in prison.Kendle appeared at the same court, having also been charged with perverting the course of justice and was also sentenced to eight months in prison – taking his total sentence to one year and four months.Barry Pegg pleaded guilty to the same offence and was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for nine months. Following the sentence, investigating officer PC Sharon Hackett said: “Perverting the course of justice is an incredibly serious crime and is dealt with robustly by the court system.“In an attempt to avoid a fine and points on her licence, which would not have stopped her from driving, Miller has instead suffered a much more severe consequence.“The police rely on members of the public to be truthful and assist in our enquiries in order to bring criminals to justice. Preventing us from doing so will lead to a prison sentence.”