Members of a Birmingham county lines drug gang who pushed heroin and crack cocaine into Stratford-upon-Avon have been jailed. Giovanni Cooper-Clarke and Kyden Williams-Parchment ran the Birmingham-based Rico Line which had established a “significant foothold” in the historic tourist town.
Detectives infiltrated the line and gathered evidence of marketing messages sent out from the line to customers offering Class A drugs for sale. The Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) said those behind the chain had now been jailed for a combined 38 years.
According to detectives – who worked alongside Warwickshire Police to identify the line – Cooper-Clarke and Williams-Parchment “distanced themselves from the dealing” and employed others to “do their dirty work” on the well-heeled streets of Stratford.
The pair’s associates – including Karin Halls – travelled to and from the tourist town to coordinate sales, deliver drugs and collect cash. Joshua Bartle, Rickey Cooper and Greg Cox were also identified – and jailed – for their role in the Rico Line..
The foot soldiers fulfilled drug orders in Stratford while Donna Hurford allowed her flat to be used as a local supply base. Offic
ers executed raids at the addresses of gang members in late 2020. They seized phones, documents and drug paraphernalia.
Officers later provided the courts with what they called a “compelling package of evidence”. It was estimated the line would have made anywhere between £60,000 to £140,000 in just over two years.
Det Insp Julie Woods from West Midlands ROCU said: “This was a well-oiled county line that had established a significant foothold in the drugs supply market in Stratford-upon-Avon.
“Cooper-Clarke and Williams-Parchment managed the line and ran the operation. The others knew their roles and conducted the drug deals on their behalf.
“County lines is a cynical business model that sees people at the top of the tree exploiting vulnerable people, often children, to peddle drugs. They are exposed to all the risk, including attacks from rival gangs, while [others] count the cash.”
Cooper-Clarke, aged 25 from Leatherhead Close, Aston, and 24-year-old Williams-Parchment, from Spring Meadow Grove, Birmingham, were jailed for nine years each. Halls, aged 21 with no fixed address, was sentenced to five years and one month.
