A man from Milton Keynes is one of seven people to have been convicted following the crackdown on organised crime in the Thames Valley.

Mohammed Ali, 50, of Chervill, Milton Keynes, was found guilty at Oxford Crown Court on September 29 of conspiracy to supply cocaine following a trial that lasted seven days.

Ali, along with Sophie Plowman, 28, formerly of Songthrush Road, Banbury and Patrick Gray, 44, of Radford Close, Oxford, were convicted of the same crimes.

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Lewis Court, 37, of Cuddesdon Way, Oxford, Richard Gray, 33, of Barley Court, Witney, William White, 35, of no fixed abode, and Jamie Shepherd-Smith, 33, of Brambling Cross, Kingston Bagpuize, had pleaded guilty to the same offences.

Five have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 66 years in prison.

Shepherd-Smith will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Gavin Toney, of the Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “We have previously secured the convictions of six members of this OCG, and Plowman has now also been found guilty accordingly.

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“The convictions we have secured are as a result of intelligence-led warrants following information received from the NCA.

“Those convicted brought large quantities of class A drugs into the Thames Valley with the intention of flooding the Thames Valley with them.

“Although Plowman played a lesser role than the other defendants, she was still found guilty of this very serious offence and will be sentenced accordingly in due course.

Between March 31, 2020, and May 26, 2021, Plowman was a member of the OCG (Organised Crime Group) who conspired with persons unknown to supply large quantities of drugs across the Thames Valley and Wiltshire.

Operation Sedate was an investigation launched into the OCG, run by Richard and Patrick Gray following intelligence received that the brothers were involved in the supply of class A drugs.

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The investigation that followed identified that Richard Gray and others travelled to Lancashire to purchase drugs.

These drugs were then returned to Oxfordshire where they were stored at Plowman’s home address at the time, Songthrush Road.

Following the execution of warrants in May 2021, more than 2.8kg of cocaine and 18.3 grams of crack cocaine were recovered, along with cash totalling more than £158,000.

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Toney continued: “Our Stronghold team will proactively and robustly pursue and prosecute offenders, and our activity will be both visible and covert to ensure that the harm brought into our communities by organised crime groups is removed.

“I would like to reassure our communities that we will continue to tackle drug supply and will continue to bring offenders before the courts where they belong.”