Hampshire drugs gang locked up and gun laws changed to remove loophole as result of massive police operation

The group’s ringleader Stanley Woods, 21, and 17 other members were sentenced between June 2022 and January 2023 to a combined total of more than 33 years for their part in the conspiracy. The investigation was led by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit, working with the Border Force and other agencies to seize cannabis which was being smuggled into the country using various postal companies and then being sold in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Dorset.

Between April 2019 and November 2020, Woods was importing cannabis from Europe, Canada and the US having them sent to his address and those of his associates, including his partner Jade Stubbs and her brother Luke. Those drugs, primarily cannabis but also MDMA and cocaine, were distributed using various runners and the proceeds were then converted into Bitcoin in an attempt to conceal the proceeds.

On October 28, 2019, officers carried out a search warrant at Woods’ home address in Imperial Avenue, Southampton, and seized his mobile phone. His message history revealed his associates and the scale of the drugs supply network: the first pieces of the puzzle which officers were able to build on through further stop searches and other interventions of the individuals linked to Woods.

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On November 17, 2021, police executed a series of search warrants resulting in the arrest of Stanley Woods and other gang members. Woods was charged and remanded into custody.

During the investigation, officers discovered that Woods was exploiting a legal loophole to purchase antique guns that did not require a licence to own. He was then modifying them into working firearms with parts he legally purchased online. Woods supplied firearms and drugs to his ‘employees’ and enticed children as young as 15 into his business who he armed with guns, crossbows and knives to protect the drugs sales empire he had built.

As soon as officers saw the loophole, they highlighted the case to the National Ballistics Intelligence Service who then used it as part of their submission to government which led to a change in the law. As a result, from September 22, 2021, it became illegal for members of the public to own a variety of antique guns without a licence. Several of these modified weapons were seized by officers in linked investigations and have now been destroyed.

When passing sentence at Southampton Crown Court, Judge Rowland said Woods was ‘fairly and squarely at the top’ of the operation and praised DC Swift from SEROCU, who led the investigation, and his colleagues. He said: ‘DC Swift and his team are to be commended for the painstaking work they undertook to apprehend these defendants and reveal the extent of the offending; over a million lines of data were examined. Little need be said about the misery caused by the supply of illegal drugs. This activity generates further crime with the interaction between criminal gangs.’

DC Swift said: ‘Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our officers, we have cut out an entire organised crime gang which was the root cause of so much drug related harm and serious violence in Southampton.

‘Woods was once the kingpin of the operation and now he and his associates are behind bars, the city is a much safer place and their gang has been dismantled. This investigation has not only recovered a large amount of cannabis, it also recovered the monetary gains that Woods’ tried to hide in crypto currency.

‘However, this case is about so much more than cannabis and cash – it is about tackling the violence and exploitation of vulnerable people that goes hand in hand with organised crime. This investigation has identified and removed children and vulnerable people from the drugs trade. We also exposed a loophole in the sale of firearms which we believe coincided with a spike in serious incidents involving guns in Southampton in 2020. The change in the law means that never again will criminal organisations be able to poison our communities with lethal weapons in the same way.’

18 members of the gang received a combined 33 years and eight months in prison

:: Stanley Woods, 21, currently residing in HMP Winchester, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import/ supply cannabis, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and two counts of possession of prohibited articles - namely mobile phones - in prison. He was given a six year and eight month prison sentence. At a separate hearing, the court determined Woods profited by £774,655 through his criminal dealings. He was ordered to pay the courts £13,401 by 23 March or his sentence will be extended, and to pay back the £774,655 throughout his life.

:: Alfie Davies, 19, of Primrose Road, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. He was given a two year suspended prison sentence.

:: Andrew Stoner, 22, of Eastbourne Avenue, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. He was handed a 16-month suspended prison sentence.

:: Zak Blake, 21, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

:: Daniel Burnet, 25, of The Close, Hedge End, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import/ supply cannabis. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

:: Kyle Hall, 28, of Anson Drive, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

:: Nathan Hayes, 29, of Monks Way, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. He was sentenced to two years, nine months in prison.

:: Lloyd White, 34, of Denzil Avenue, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. He was sentenced to two years, nine months in prison.

:: Jade Stubbs, 22, of Outer Circle, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import/ supply cannabis. She was sentenced to nine months in prison.

:: Robert Southwell, 35, of Avenue Road, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cannabis. He was sentenced to two years in prison.

:: Tracy Cornock, 37, of Witts Hill, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. She was given an 18-month community order.

:: Nathan Burton, 27, of Witts Hill, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. He was sentenced to two months in prison, suspended for 18 months and ordered to complete 120 hours of community service.

:: Eduardo Nunes, 22, of Coxford Road, Southampton, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and being concerned in the supply of MDMA. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

:: Tyler Williams, 22, of Priory Road, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis, being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and dangerous driving. He was sentenced to two years in prison and was disqualified from driving for two years, which he has been serving while awaiting sentencing and will complete once he is released.

:: Daniel Sivyour, 44, of High Street, Newport, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import / supply cannabis, cultivation of cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cocaine. He was sentenced to six years and six months in prison.

:: Stacey Burton, 34, of Alexandra Road, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug. She was sentenced to three years and three months in prison.

:: Marios Petrou, 18, of Dunbar Close, Southampton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and was sentenced to 150 hours of community service.

:: Luke Stubbs, 19, of Avenue Road, Southampton, was found guilty of conspiracy to import/ supply cannabis by a jury following a trial at Southampton Crown Court in May 2022. He was given a two-year suspended prison sentence.