Drug dealers Burhan Tatar, Houshyar Mandahaki and Kevin Hardacre

Drug dealers who tried to flood the North East with Class A substances

by · ChronicleLive

These are the faces of drug dealers who intended to bring dangerous and addictive substances to the streets of the North East.

All those pictured below have been concerned in the supply of Class A drugs such as heroin and cocaine. One pair were caught trying to bring £1m of heroin to the North East from London, while a third man, their colleague in the region, had £925,000 of heroin in his house.

Another pair were caught with 84 packages of cocaine and heroin in their car and were snared when acting suspiciously. Others include a pub landlord who tried to flee the country after he was released on bail, and a South Tyneside dealer who would cut cocaine and sell it in smaller deals.

Read the full list below

Michael Falcus and Michael Rice

Michael Falcus used Michael Rice as his "trusted man" as they worked together to profit from the illicit trade of Class A and Class B substances between March and June 2020. They tried to mask their offending through using "Encrochat" encrypted messaging, but were found out by Northumbria Police.
Falcus organised deliveries of cocaine and cannabis into the region, while Rice stored cocaine and cash and acted as his courier. They were found to have co-ordinated the supply of 12 kilos of cocaine and eight kilos of cannabis, with a combined value in excess of £400,000.
Both were arrested on conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in April 2021. Falcus, 55 of Manor Drive, Benton was charged with one count of conspiracy to Class A drugs, and one count of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.
Rice, 59, of Harriet Street, Blaydon, was charged with one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine, and one count of conspiracy to supply cannabis. They were found guilty by jury on all charges at Newcastle Crown Court in August.
Earlier this month at the same court, Falcus was jailed for 17 years behind bars while Rice was handed a 10-year-term.

David Falcus

Pub landlord David Falcus attempted to escape to the Middle East after admitting his role in a cocaine conspiracy. Falcus used the handle 'Novaghost' on an encrypted messaging app to facilitate the supply of the Class A substance into the North East.
The 52-year-old was involved in the supply of more than two kilograms of cocaine between March and June 2020. Falcus, of Bede Close, Holystone, was arrested in February 2021, and searches of his home address and business premises were conducted.
More than £2,000 in cash was recovered from his home, with a further £4,650 found at his place of work along with six cocaine packages worth more than £4,000. He initially denied any wrongdoing, but was subsequently charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine.
He was released on conditional bail after his first court appearance, before booking a flight to Bahrain. He was stopped by officers and arrested at Heathrow Airport on July 24 this year.
Within a week, he had pleaded guilty to the drugs charge at Newcastle Crown Court. He returned to the same court for sentencing on November 1, where he was sentenced to eight years in prison.(Image: Northumbria Police)

Adam Reay

Adam Reay went as IcyViper on EncroChat to bulk by cocaine which he would cut then sell on in smaller deals. Newcastle Crown Court heard that Reay, of Hindmarch Drive, West Boldon, was heavily involved in the supply and distribution in the South Tyneside area of cocaine and mixing cocaine with adulterants.
He would buy his cocaine from a person further up the drugs chain, which we would get others to collect, reprocess using a hydraulic press and mixing agents and sell on. The 32-year-old admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis and was jailed for six years.(Image: Northumbria Police)

Craig Robertson

Craig Robertson was arrested at a drugs bust in a Gosforth hotel car park which prevented "import purity" cocaine hit the streets of the North East. An organised crime group had sent a kilo block of the drug in the van of Alister Wright, who was running a legitimate courier business and claimed he didn't know what was in the package.
Robertson had turned up to collect the drugs on behalf of those higher up the gangland chain. He was snared when he was "acting suspiciously" in his black VW Golf.
The court heard that those involved in organising the drugs deliver had been using "caller line ID spoofing", which masked their mobile phone numbers. Robertson also had such a device.
The 42-year-old, of the Meadows, Fawdon, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and also admitted dangerous driving in relation to a domestic-related offence while on bail for the drugs offences. He shunted his wife's car forwards during a row before driving at speed towards the back of her car, slamming on the brakes to avoid a collision.
He was jailed for five years and two months at Newcastle Crown Court in October. Wright, 49, of Bro Deg, Flintshire, pleaded guilty to participating in criminal activity of an organised crime group on the basis he was unaware it was a class A drug or its value and said it was a one-off for which he was paid £300. He was sentenced to 18 months suspended for 18 months with rehabilitation.(Image: Northumbria Police)