Overview
- Nottingham Crown Court on Monday sentenced Andre McGowan to 12 years and Shabezz Wheeler-Spink to three years after guilty pleas to Class A drug supply offenses.
- Coordinated warrants in February 2023 at McGowan’s Bestwood flat and a Radford house led to simultaneous arrests and seizures that included £28,186 in cryptocurrency and bank assets.
- Bodycam video showed McGowan climbing out a first-floor window in his boxer shorts and throwing an Aldi bag holding heroin and crack worth up to £35,000 before officers caught him nearby.
- Detectives seized the ‘Vic Line’ phone that sent mass “Morning!” texts to customers to signal the line was taking orders, a common tactic in county drug networks.
- Prosecutors said McGowan ran the citywide operation for six years, while Wheeler-Spink delivered orders for about six months and was caught after a failed bid to flush 104g of heroin that flooded a bathroom.