Gangsters used Northumberland allotments to stash drugs

Jun 17 2009 by Adam Jupp, The Journal

SECLUDED allotments were used to stash hundreds of thousands of pounds-worth of drugs.

Plots in Amble and Ashington had cocaine, amphetamines and Ecstasy hidden in them by a gang of criminals involved in the large-scale supply of substances across Northumberland.

The network was headed-up by feared gangster Neil Barratt, who used the proceeds of his criminal enterprises to lead a lavish lifestyle on one of the region’s most exclusive estates.

The 43-year-old lived in a plush property on Middle Drive, part of the Darras Hall estate, Ponteland, where leading business figures rub shoulders with millionaire football players.

But his front was shattered when he was arrested during an armed stand-off in connection with a serious assault linked to a debt-collecting mission. Barratt was apprehended in his N-reg black Mercedes on the A696 after detectives learned of his role in a brutal attack, which saw a businessmen beaten close to death with a spade.

The arrest led to a search of his home, where a .38 calibre pistol was found and he was charged with causing grievous harm with intent and firearm possession.

But Barratt, who also ran a legitimate car wash business in Gateshead, was simultaneously the subject of an undercover police operation targeting organised crime groups in the North East.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how he used threats of violence to recruit people to his gang, which was primarily based in South East Northumberland.

Police raided a safe house, on Winchester Close, Ashington, which was being used to press and package the drugs and inside found a number of Barratt’s associates.

Clouds of cocaine were reportedly floating around the property and one officer needed hospital treatment because of the volume of the class A drug he had been exposed to.