Four jailed for their role in West Midlands cocaine ring
Over £1 million worth of Class A drugs were involved
Four individuals involved in the transportation and supply of more than £1 million worth of cocaine across the West Midlands have been sentenced to extensive jail terms.
Roberto Cataldo, Parminder Grewal, Tomas Kiaulakys, and Gabriele Trinkunaite played significant roles in moving blocks of cocaine across the country for distribution to drug dealers.
In January last year, Cataldo and Trinkunaite were spotted traveling from London to Birmingham.
They stopped at a car park in Coleshill to meet Grewal, and officers observed the transfer of large packages between their vehicles before they moved out in convoy.
As officers pursued them, Grewal was apprehended and arrested on Lichfield Road after attempting to dispose of a bag containing three to four kilogrammes of cocaine.
A one-kilo block was also found inside his vehicle.
Later that day, Cataldo was tracked and stopped while driving towards Walsall, and Trinkunaite was apprehended just over an hour later in a car driven by Kiaulakys.
Ten one-kilo packages of cocaine, marked with "888" stamps, were seized from their car.
Text messages between the group were analyzed and revealed plans to distribute large quantities of cocaine.
The combined street value of the ten seized blocks from Trinkunaite and Kiaulakys is estimated at £1,000,000.
All four individuals were charged by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCWM).
Sentencing at Birmingham Crown Court on 6th March was as follows:
Parminder Grewal, 24, from Pensnett Dudley, received five years and five months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and dangerous driving.
Roberto Cataldo, 53, from Bentley Lane, Walsall, received six years and eleven months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and dangerous driving.
Tomas Kiaulakys, 32, from Primrose Avenue, Wolverhampton, received five years and ten months for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Gabriele Trinkunaite, 26, from Taylor Road, Wolverhampton, received seven years and eight months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
ROCWM stated: "Our officers carry out regular operations to identify and catch suspected drug dealers and break up organised crime gangs and County Lines networks."
They emphasized the importance of community awareness regarding the exploitation of young and vulnerable individuals by criminal gangs, who often involve children in drug transportation, trapping them in criminality and causing suffering to them and their families.