County lines drugs gang in Coventry and Leamington jailed
38-year-old Daniel Wheeler, who led a drugs line named after him made more than £750,000 profit
A county lines drugs gang have been jailed for a combined total of over 30 years after moving large amounts of Class A drugs through Coventry and Warwickshire.
The Wheeler line, was led by and named after 38-year-old Daniel Wheeler, who made more than £750,000 profit from the operation.
Wheeler, coordinated drivers and runners for drug deals, and the gang sold cocaine in quantities ranging from 0.5 grams to one ounce.
Police said they would threaten anyone who couldn't pay their debts.
His associates, David Ball, Jason Wills, Liaquat Hussain, and Anthony Hooper, each had roles within the network.
Ball acted as Wheeler's driver and allowed him to use one of his bank accounts to launder his drug profits, while Wills and Hussain operated as street level dealers.
While Hooper also allowed Wheeler to use his bank account to launder more than £100,000.
The investigation, involving Coventry Local Policing Area and the County Lines taskforce, revealed the sale of at least 10 kilograms of cocaine over 11 months.
Police arrested Wheele in May 2023 from a car in Coventry. He was in possession of a phone linked to the drugs line, as well as money and a key to a nearby house.
The house was searched, a large amount of cocaine was found.
Subsequent searches at the addresses of other suspects' uncovered additional cocaine and chemicals used for cutting the drugs, as well as more phones and bank cards linked to the illicit accounts.
All five suspects pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and were sentenced on 11 March:
• Daniel Wheeler, 38, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was jailed for 12 years and eight months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
• David Ball, 39, of Fletchamstead Highway, Coventry, was jailed for seven years and four months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
• Jason Wills, 40, of Burnaby Road, Coventry, was jailed for four years and nine months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
• Liaquat Hussain, 48, of Middlemarch Road, Coventry, was jailed for four years and three months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
• Anthony Hooper, 36, of Guilsborough Road, Coventry was given a suspended sentence of 20 months for money laundering.
Detective Constable David Cockbill from our County Lines Taskforce said: "Wheeler operated an incredibly busy and sophisticated cocaine line throughout Coventry and the surrounding area.
"He was purely motivated by greed, exploiting and threatening vulnerable people to further his drug business and avoid police detection.
"He showed no care for the misery his drugs inflicted on the community and was happy to threaten violence to keep people in line.
"The lengthy sentences reflect the amount of harm he and his associates caused."