Four men jailed for more than 13 years after operation to tackle supply of cocaine into Scarborough
Four men have been jailed for a total of 13 and a half years for their roles in conspiring to supply cocaine in Scarborough between July 2021 and March 2022.
They appeared at York Crown Court today (Thursday May 15 2025):
- Antony Valentine Berry, 38, of Westbourne Grove, Scarborough, was sentenced to five years and nine months’ imprisonment
- Sean Lee Mosley Naylor, 40, of Franklin Street, Scarborough, was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment
- Arron Thomson, 36, of Lingfield Garth, Leeds, got three years and 10 months’ imprisonment. He had previously been jailed for four years in January 2022 for possession with intent to supply offences
- TJ Lewis Glendinning, 25, of West View, Middleton, Pickering, was jailed for two years and 11 months
They were brought to justice by Scarborough CID under Operation Spider, which was set up to tackle the supply of cocaine in Scarborough by the four offenders.
Following an unrelated warrant executed in late 2021, broadcast messages were identified on a seized phone from a dedicated deal-line sending daily messages to local drug users offering cocaine for sale.
Messages included “Active 247 10/10 flake 10/10 rock” and “About all day fire flake, fire rock”.
The deal-line was registered in the name of ‘Tony Montana’ - a direct reference to the cocaine-snorting protagonist in the movie Scarface.
Phone evidence linked the line to Glendinning who could be proved to be holding and operating the number on behalf of the others.
On the afternoon of 7 December 2021, Thomson was stopped by North Yorkshire Police’s Firearms Support Unit in his vehicle travelling towards Scarborough from Leeds on the A170.
He was found to be in possession of 148 grams of cocaine and 79.5 grams of heroin hidden in his trousers.
Thomson was convicted of possession with intent to supply and sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.
His phone was examined and evidence from this implicated Naylor and Berry as working alongside him.
Chats, messages, and further phone data proved that all three had set up the drug dealing enterprise and had several others working below them at various times.
Other individuals, who had been previously convicted of dealing cocaine throughout 2021, were linked to all three men.
Naylor sent messages to one of these individuals advising them they owed £4,000 for cocaine and not paying this was ruining his drug line.
Berry sent messages to an associate discussing that a drug user had smoked his crack he had left with them to hold.
Following a lengthy investigation, Naylor, Thomson, Berry and Glendinning were charged in April 2024 with conspiring together to supply cocaine.
A trial was set for May 2025, but the group all changed their pleas to guilty before it started.
Investigating officer DC Darrel Temple, of Scarborough CID, said: “The complex investigation identified that Naylor, Thomson and Berry were operating above others, including Glendinning, to peddle Class A drugs into Scarborough.
“The ring leaders were Naylor, Berry and Thomson and they clearly had power over those below them.
"With that comes great responsibility to keep people in check.
“Despite operating under the radar for some time, mistakes were made that led the police to identify their activities and eventually bring them to justice.
“The supply of cocaine is an ever-increasing problem for the police and society in general.
"We will continue to relentlessly target those behind such serious organised crime in our area.”
Anyone with any information about suspected drug-related crime is urged to make a report via the North Yorkshire Police website or by calling 101 and speaking to the Force Control Room.
Always dial 999 if an emergency response is required.
If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or make a report online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.