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Four sentenced over seaside resort drugs operation

Lincolnshire Police Police custody photographs of Alistair Renwick and Callum Traynor, Renwick has dark hair and beard and is wearing a grey top. Trainor has short brown hair and is wearing a dark top.Lincolnshire Police
Alistair Renwick (left) and Callum Traynor were sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court

Four members of a gang have been sentenced for running a county lines drugs operation in Lincolnshire.

Ringleader Alistair Renwick, 32, sourced Class A drugs in Coventry and recruited people to sell the heroin and cocaine in Skegness, Lincolnshire Police said.

Renwick regularly sent bulk marketing messages to users' phones when new supplies arrived from the West Midlands, the force added.

Three other men were sentenced alongside Renwick at Lincoln Crown Court last week. Five more members are due to appear at the same court for sentencing in June.

The gang was arrested in October 2022 following a year-long investigation.

Renwick, of Provost Road, Manby, Lincolnshire, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following a trial and has been jailed for nine years.

Callum Traynor, 22, of Widdrington Road, Coventry, was described by police as "a key player" who brought the drugs to the seaside resort.

He was jailed for three years and three months after admitting his role.

Michael Gerrie, 44, of, Campbell Crescent, Portsoy in Aberdeenshire, was one of the street-level dealers working in Skegness. He was entrusted with a stock of drugs and involved in at least one courier run, police said.

He was ordered to serve two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Another courier, Brian Parker, 50, of Mansfield Road, Worksop, was handed a two-year jail term suspended for two years after pleading guilty to the same charge.

Joanne Davies/Geograph The exterior of Lincoln Crown Court. There is green foliage adorning the ornate Gothic building, which has eight tall turrets rising from the roof. There are two cars parked on the front.Joanne Davies/Geograph
Five more gang members are due to be sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court in June

Police said methods applied by the gang in their operation were "borrowed from successful marketing tactics used by big brands, and [they] preyed on some of the most vulnerable addicted users".

Det Insp William Tharby, of Lincolnshire Police, described the investigation as "complex and taxing".

"We had been seeing increasing reports of drug use and associated crime in the Skegness area during lockdown and we needed to take action to keep the community, as well as those vulnerable users, safe," he said.

"So much of what we do relies on the help and cooperation of local residents and businesses who share information and support our investigations, and this has been no exception.

"I want to thank people for that support, because it really does make a difference."

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