Seven members of organised crime group convicted following major county lines investigation

Seven members of an organised crime group responsible for running multiple county drug lines across Northamptonshire and Leicestershire have been convicted following a large-scale investigation.

Operation Terrain was a complex, long-running investigation spanning over two and a half years. It identified seven separate county lines linked to the group, which operated out of Dudley, Loughborough and Leicester.

Six of the lines were supplying Class A drugs – crack cocaine and heroin – into Northampton, with a seventh operating in Loughborough.

The network was led by Obi Oko and Zughame Nyaba who sat at the top of the hierarchy with Morgan Pilsbury, Keiran Hopper, Lewis Hayward, Jesin Adutwum and Stephanie Andrews supporting them as runners, line holders and drivers.

The investigation linked to a parallel Leicestershire Police operation, Operation Hush, which uncovered a further two county lines involving Oko, Nyaba and Adutwum supplying Class A drugs in Loughborough and Leicester.

On December 12, 2024, officers arrested Oko, Nyaba and Adutwum at an address in central Leicester. During the operation, officers seized four drug line phones linked to both Northamptonshire and Leicestershire supply networks, nearly £10,000 in cash, and Class A drugs with an estimated street value of £20,000.

All seven people were arrested, charged and pleaded guilty to a variety of offences at Leicester Crown Court. On May 20, they returned to the same court to be sentenced:

• Obi Oko, aged 24, previously of Longueville Court, Northampton, was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and possession of criminal property
• Zughame Nyaba, aged 25, previously of Bull Street, Dudley, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and possession of criminal property
• Keiran Hopper, aged 37, previously of Welford Road, Leicester was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) and possession of criminal property
• Lewis Hayward, aged 19, previously of Granville Square, Birmingham, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and 200 hours of unpaid work for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin), and possession of a bladed article
• Jesin Adutwum, aged 19, previously of Quarry Road, Birmingham, was sentenced four years and six months in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin), possession of a bladed article and possession of criminal property
• Stephanie Andrews, aged 41, previously of Oliver Street, Northampton, is due to be sentenced at a date to be confirmed for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin)
• Morgan Pilsbury, aged 20, previously of Kettering Road North, Northampton, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine), and possession with intent to supply Class B drugs at Northampton Crown Court in November 2025.

Lead investigator - Detective Constable Scott Allan from Northamptonshire Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: “This was a significant and sustained operation targeting a well‑established organised crime group responsible for flooding our communities with harmful Class A drugs.

“Oko and Nyaba played leading roles in coordinating multiple county lines, exploiting vulnerable individuals and driving drug supply across county borders for profit.

“The dismantling of seven drug lines is a major disruption to criminal activity in Northamptonshire and beyond, and demonstrates our commitment to pursuing those who seek to exploit and harm our communities.

“I hope these sentences send a clear message that county lines drug dealing will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with our policing partners to identify, target and bring offenders to justice.”

Detective Inspector Carrie Powers said: “County lines gangs inflict damage and misery, using violence and intimidation to exploit children and vulnerable people to do their dirty work. 

“Northamptonshire Police work hard to break up these criminal networks and this case demonstrates this. 

“I would like to thank DC Allan for his hard work and dedication in tackling this gang and bringing them to justice.”