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The smirking drugs gang members who flooded Scunthorpe with heroin and cocaine
Members of a drugs gang have been jailed for a total of more than 16 years after flooding the streets of Scunthorpe with heroin and cocaine.
Three men from Scunthorpe – John O’Shea, 41 of Detuyll Street, Jakob Ceirniak, 19, of no fixed abode, and Levi Mclelland, 18, of Ashdown Avenue – along with Archie Pollock, 34 of no fixed abode, and Ahmed Nahshell, 20, of Sheffield, were charged with conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine.
Humberside Police officers dismantled their network in June last year and all the men entered guilty pleas at Grimsby Crown Court in September before being sentenced last Friday (June 16). Ringleader Pollock was sentenced to seven years and six months, Ceirniak received three years and seven months, O’Shea three years and four months, Nahshell one year and ten months, while Mclelland received a two-year supervision order.
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In June 2021, Humberside Police officers spotted a suspicious red Vauxhall Astra which was driven by Ceirniak on Dale Street, Scunthorpe. Searching him, they found an ounce of cocaine worth £1,400.
He was arrested and released from custody whilst investigations continued. Leaving Birchin Way Station, he met known drug dealer Archie Pollock.
Leading the investigation, Detective Superintendent Rhod Troake said: “As a part of the ongoing investigation and through intelligence gathered, detectives were able to establish that Pollock was in fact Ceirniak’s boss, and he was delivering drugs to a number of locations under Archie Pollock’s instruction.
“Whilst detectives continued to build their case, on Wednesday, 28 July, officers again stopped a vehicle being driven by Ceirniak and uncovered a number of burner phones as well as £600 in cash.
“After confiscating the cash and burner phones, through telephone analysis, detectives uncovered that Ceirniak had been arranging and distributing drugs under Pollock’s instruction alongside two dealers, John O’Shea and Levi Mclelland and the gang’s delivery driver Ahmed Nahshell.”
As detectives continued to build a bigger picture about the organised drugs network, Pollock was remanded into prison in connection with unrelated offences, which were later dropped at court.
Whilst in prison, Pollock continued running his drugs empire, instructing O’Shea, Mcleland, Ceirniak and Nahshell, to manage the supply and delivery of cocaine and heroin across the Scunthorpe area, for which they were all arrested and subsequently charged.
Detective Superintendent Rhodri Troake added: “This was an extremely lengthy investigation into an organised crime group who went to great lengths to distribute drugs and commit crime within our communities.
“Archie Pollock and his gang members are dangerous and violent individuals who exploited vulnerable people.
“I know it can be frustrating for local residents when they see criminals committing crime and we do not act upon it straight away, but, with complex investigations like these, it does take us time to build the bigger picture to ensure we are able to hold them to account.
“I’m pleased that these men are now behind bars being punished for their actions, and I hope that it sends a clear message to those who think they can get away with committing crime in our force area”.
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