Drug and gun gang ringleaders locked up

David Pedley and Ezekial Osbourne were at the centre of the illegal activity which also saw them recruit others to carry out deals.

But they were rumbled by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) after a covert operation which monitored their movements.

Pedley was seen meeting a number of his drug dealing recruits at locations across the Birmingham area, who were later stopped and caught with cocaine.

More than £100,000 in cash was also recovered and cocaine was also found at an address where 37-year-old Pedley frequently visited and used to store Class A substances.

Osbourne, aged 39, was also caught supplying heroin to a female associate which was recovered after officers swooped on her West Bromwich home.

Among the network was dealer William Butler, who was found trying to hide cocaine at his home in Chelmsley Wood when officers made an unrelated arrest attempt in October 2016.

Both Pedley and Osbourne were exposed for being involved in a gun deal after armed officers intercepted one of their associates in April this year.

The associate had collected a .44 Smith & Wesson Russian calibre revolver from Edward Stewart in Northampton.

On his way back the associate was stopped in Yardley Wood and the weapon recovered. Officers discovered the sat nav set for an address connected to Pedley while phone records showed that Osbourne had organised the delivery.

Pedley, of Arden Vale Road, Solihull, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between April and June 2016. He was convicted of conspiracy to supply a firearm after trial and jailed for a total of 17 years at Birmingham Crown Court on Monday.

Osbourne, of Edgware Road, Erdington, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supplying Class A drugs and was found guilty of the firearms offence. He was sentenced to serve 10 years and three months imprisonment.

Stewart, 30, of Addison Road, Northampton, was jailed for six years for supplying a firearm; while 39-year-old Butler, of Brays Road, Sheldon, was locked up for three years and four months for supplying cocaine.

Dc Chris Smith, from ROCU, said: "This was a co-ordinated criminal network of which Pedley and Osbourne were at the forefront.

"We have already seen 10 others jailed for their involvement in this and hopefully these latest, lengthy sentences will serve as a warning that such criminal behaviour will not be tolerated.

"We all know the pain that both drugs and guns can cause on our streets and there will be no let-up in our determination to combat this."