West Sussex man part of organised crime network is jailed

Charles Courtney Gold, 40, from Henley, was found to be the 'right-hand man' of senior member of a serious organised crime group, 39-year-old Richard Andrew Stokes, of Railton Road, Guildford.

The pair have been sentenced to a combined total of 19 and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to drug dealing offences in Surrey.

Two men charged after car crashes into a ditch in Bognor RegisThe sentencing followed Operation Venetic, the UK law enforcement response to the takedown of encrypted communication platform Encrochat.

Stokes was first arrested in October 2019 by the Metropolitan Police Service in Barnes.

Officers who stopped him for 'driving erratically' found bags of cash in his boot, totalling over £130,000.

Searches of a linked address of a luxury flat in Fulham located almost £40,000 more in cash, three Rolex watches, high-value designer trainers and several cheap mobile phones.

Following his interview, he was released under investigation.

'Violent men' sought following alleged 'machete' robberyAn address which Gold was residing at in Henley was searched on May 4 last year. Officers found more than £250,000 in cash and two phones, one identified as an Encrophone.

A lock up Gold had been using was also identified and searching officers also recovered around three sweet tins containing 439.98 grams of cocaine.

He was arrested on suspicion of being concerned with the supply of Class A drugs and released under investigation.

Further collaborative work between Surrey Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, The Metropolitan Police, South East Regional Organised Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency highlighted the extent of Stokes’ and Gold criminal activity and the fact they had been working together.

A warrant was carried out of Stoke’s home address in Railton Road, Guildford on April 12. Further high value items were seized, and he was arrested for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs as well as possession of criminal property.

The pair had been communicating via Encrochat in order to facilitate drug dealing across the South East.

'Violent struggle' ends in arrest in ChichesterStokes and Gold appeared at Guildford Crown Court yesterday (14 October). Stokes had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs as well as two counts of possession of criminal property and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Gold pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and one count of possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to a total of seven years and 6 months.

For more information and for other results relating to Operation Venetic, please visit the NCA website: https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/

Detective Constable Harry Robberts said “Stokes was living an extremely lavish and luxury lifestyle off the back of his criminal exploits.

“Stokes spent tens of thousands on luxury watches, trainers, trips to Dubai and Ibiza as well as shopping sprees in Harrods and Christian Dior.

“Both men thought that their use of Encrochat would mean they would go undetected due to the levels of encryption that the service offered.

“Stokes played a key role within a serious organised crime group, distributing drugs including cocaine to vulnerable users. Gold is described as Stoke’s ‘highly entrusted assistant’ who would carry out orders for him and store large amounts of cash.

“Holding these organised criminals to account is a vital part of keeping drugs from getting into the hands of vulnerable people across the UK. This was a large, complex investigation which involved collaborative work from many agencies and Forces in order to protect the public.

“I hope this sentence reassures the public that we are doing everything possible to tackle drug related crime not just in Surrey but across the UK. I also hope that this sentence highlights to those who think a career in crime won’t catch up with them that it absolutely will.”