A pair of daring dealers used vulnerable children to deliver thousands of pounds of illegal substances to their customers.
Nathaniel Brown and Joshua Newbould ran an elaborate criminal enterprise across Chesterfield and Derbyshire Dales for almost a year. Brown and Newbould engaged vulnerable children as their private postmen.
They would deliver illegal stuff under car tyres, door mats and even through letterboxes. Their crime spree ran between May last year and February this year.
In June 2023, a routine traffic stop in Renishaw led to a dramatic confrontation between police and two men. Officers stopped a Mercedes driven by Newbould, who was disqualified from driving.
In an attempt to evade capture, Newbould rammed the police car, while his accomplice, Brown, fled on foot. Brown was quickly apprehended nearby.
During the incident, several mobile phones and a lock sharp object were discovered in the car and seized. Both men were arrested and subsequently released on bail pending further investigation.
The situation escalated in October 2023 when, while still on bail, Newbould and Brown were spotted driving dangerously in an Audi through Chesterfield. The car was seen mounting pavements and heading towards oncoming traffic.
The vehicle was later located at a business centre in Barrow Hill, where witnesses reported seeing the men unloading items from the boot. Police were informed that the duo had been arguing before discarding a bag into nearby bushes.
The recovered bag contained 15 packages of illegal white powder, cash, and a mobile phone. One phone was identified as a dealer’s line, and two dealer lists were discovered—one detailing small-scale deals and cash sums up to £200, while the other included larger subastance quantities and thousands of pounds.
Their operation was found to span Chesterfield and extend into the Derbyshire Dales. Specialist officers from the Organised Crime Group team took over the investigation, which led to warrants being executed at the homes of Newbould and Brown in February 2024.
The searches uncovered cash, substance, and weapons. Newbould and Brown were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possessing criminal property. Newbould faced additional charges of driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, and possessing a bladed article.
Initially denying the charges, both men entered guilty pleas on the first day of their trial at Derby Crown Court on August 12. Newbould, 24, from Lime Road, Eckington, was sentenced to five years and four months in prison. Brown, 35, from Rainbow Place, Sheffield, received a six-year and three-month sentence.
Judge Jonathan Bennett, in sentencing, noted that the operation represented a nine-month conspiracy and criticized the men for continuing their activities despite being stopped multiple times. Detective Constable Craig Chidlow, who led the investigation, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome, stating: “These two men have shown absolutely no regard whatsoever for the law throughout this investigation, continuing to deal drugs even while on bail as officers worked to build the strongest possible case against them.
“The fact they recruited children to their operation shows the lengths they were willing to go to carry out their dealing. Both Newbould and Brown showed signs of unexplained wealth in the form of high-value clothing, jewellery, and bundles of cash.
“We will now pursue a Proceeds of Crime Act case to seize assets bought with tl**** money. I’d like to thank all the officers involved in this case for helping to take these two dangerous individuals off the streets. This has been a long-running investigation involving many teams, and I am grateful to all those involved.”
