Criminal network jailed for 112 years for wholesale supply of cocaine

A criminal network which procured and sold dozens of kilos of cocaine across South-West England between 2016-2020 have been jailed for over 112 years in total.

The last of the network, Anton Merturi, 26, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court today.

Warren Allison, 36, Kelroy Allison, 41, Richard Cowell, 56, Anthony Burke, 34, and Porcia Densely, 38, were previously convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine after an eight-week trial at Winchester Crown Court. They were sentenced on 6 February 2025. Christopher Barbosa, 33, was previously sentenced at Bristol Crown Court for his involvement in this operation.

Darren Newlands, 44 was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment on 24 October 2025 at Winchester Crown Court after being convicted of two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Enid Aliko, 28, Pjeter Pisha, 37, and Ledian Hoxha, 38, had all previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply.

Gavin Sumpter, a Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “The defendants in this case were involved in a sophisticated criminal operation over a period of four years which saw the large-scale supply of illegal drugs across the South-West. Organised crime such as this drives drug addiction, fuels acquisitive and violent crime and inflicts lasting damage on our communities.

“CPS Wessex worked closely with the Wiltshire Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit to build a strong case against this group and bring them to justice” 

Over a four-year period, Warren Allison and Darren Newlands ran an organised network of conspirators across the South-West who were engaged in a large-scale enterprise to purchase and sell significant quantities of cocaine.

Cowell, who acted as a courier, along with Allison arranged to have his Jaguar modified with a hydraulic hide behind the seats to conceal significant quantities of drugs during transport. The group also used other modified cars in a similar way.

Christopher Barbosa used Warren Allison as a wholesale supplier and with Allison arranged for Cowell to deliver drugs to him for onward supply. 

Densley, Warren Allison’s girlfriend was revealed through messages found on her telephone to hold an administrative and financial role in the enterprise, keeping records of monies owed for drugs and counting cash received by the gang.

Warren Allison’s brother, Kelroy Allison, also worked closely with him, sharing contacts for his own operations.

He also faced a further charge of being concerned in the supply of cocaine between August 2020 and September 2021. This case relied on evidence obtained from Operation Venetic, a wider, NCA-led investigation into encrypted EncroChat phone conversations. The operation uncovered a large volume of encrypted messages used by criminals in illicit trade across the United Kingdom.

Following the closure of EncroChat software, Warren Allison and Darren Newlands moved to different encrypted platforms, arranging to buy four kilograms of cocaine from Pisha, Aliko and Hoxha. They entered into a further an agreement for the future supply of considerable amounts of cocaine.

The deal was arranged to take place on 3 November 2020, with a courier delivering the package to be held by Warren Allison’s cousin, Burke.

Unbeknownst to them, surveillance officers watched as Anton Merturi delivered the package of drugs to Burke’s address.

Burke was immediately arrested, and police seized the cocaine worth £170,000 from his address. Merturi was arrested nearby on the same day. 

Warren Allison was arrested that day, with further arrests following.

Following the 3 November arrests, both Pisha and Hoxha both absconded to Continental Europe in an attempt to evade arrest and prosecution.

However, as a result of collaborative working between the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the NCA and Spanish and German authorities, they were both extradited back to the UK to face criminal charges, where they both ultimately pleaded guilty.