The final member of a large organised crime group has been sentenced after police recovered a £3 million stash of heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, amphetamine, cannabis, and synthetic cannabis from a self-storage unit in Lincoln.
This haul was part of a vast UK-wide drugs network that dealt with approximately 1,200kg of heroin and 500kg of cocaine, valued at around £100 million on the streets. The gang distributed over a tonne of heroin into the UK between January and September 2018.
Lincolnshire Police made their biggest-ever drugs seizure, leading to arrests in Lincoln, Birmingham, Liverpool, as well as in Belgium and the Netherlands.
On Monday 14 August, Daniel Askew—the last conspirator—was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court. He was found hiding 12kg of amphetamine in a bricked-up garage and 700g of cocaine in a loft.
The investigation revealed the gang was led by Sean Page Sr, who coordinated the collection and distribution of drugs across the UK. While evading arrest, Page Sr operated from Antwerp, Belgium.
Sean Page Sr and his son Sean Page Jr managed on-the-ground organisers such as Thomas Conway. Imtiaz Ahmed Raja, who frequently travelled between the UK and Belgium, invested £1 million into the operation.
Lincolnshire Police’s breakthrough came in June 2018 when undercover officers caught Conway delivering drug packages in North Hykeham. Subsequent vehicle stops led to the seizure of 2kg of pressed cocaine and amphetamine.
A raid on a storage unit rented by Mark Golightly uncovered over 30,000 MDMA tablets, kilos of heroin, amphetamines, cannabis products, synthetic cannabis, and £25,000 in cash. A caravan linked to Conway was also searched, where Askew’s drugs were found.
Officers seized another 61kg of heroin and 22kg of cocaine at UK ports, all traced back to Sean Page Sr’s network. Peter Nulty, who facilitated money transfers across the Isle of Man, was also involved.
Police arrested Sean Page Jr at Liverpool Airport on Christmas Eve 2018. Raja was detained arriving at Birmingham Airport in April 2019. Page Sr was caught by Belgian police in Antwerp in June 2019, found with thousands of euros and fake IDs. Nulty was the last arrested, detained at Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport in October 2019.
Chief Superintendent Nikki Mayo said: “This is the largest drugs operation Lincolnshire Police has ever led. We seized millions worth of hard drugs and broke up a network flooding our streets and beyond. Our officers worked tirelessly with the National Crime Agency, UK Border Force, and European partners. This is top-class policing keeping our communities safe.”
Detective Chief Inspector Kerry Webb added: “Organised crime fuels violence, exploitation, and misery in our communities. Targeting those at the top was vital. This team’s dedication made these results possible.”
Sentences delivered include:
- Mark Golightly – 8 years 6 months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
- Thomas Conway, 70 – 13 years 6 months.
- Daniel Conway, 41 – 6 months suspended sentence.
- Daniel Askew, 36 – 2 years suspended sentence.
- Jack Pickering, 27 – 2 years suspended sentence.
- Sean Page Sr, 51 – 22 years 6 months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
- Sean Page Jr, 29 – 14 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
- Imtiaz Ahmed Raja, 58 – 5 years 11 months for money laundering.
- Peter Nulty, 40 – 40 months (pleaded guilty in March 2021).
The storage unit contained synthetic cannabis, cannabis resin bars, ecstasy tablets bagged in sandwich bags, and heroin wrapped in packages marked as ‘Turkish Airlines’—indicating sophisticated smuggling methods.
This multi-million-pound bust sends a clear message that UK police are relentlessly targeting drug networks to keep streets safe.
Originally published by UKNIP.
