Kettering siblings' 'wholesale' high-purity coke-dealing business shut down as brother and sister jailed

A brother and sister who were part of a cocaine supply operation in Kettering have been jailed for their part in the conspiracy.

Louise Vanstone, 35 and her brother Dylan Vanstone, 27, have been jailed along with two other defendants, Stephan Wala and Gareth Conybeare.

Northampton Crown Court heart that the group had been pedaling cocaine from their homes in Kettering and Burton Latimer. Texts showed Dylan Vanstone’s attempts to buy a kilo of cocaine for £42,000 from Wala, 37, on the day of his arrest.

When Dylan Vanstone’s Mercedes was stopped in Haynes Road, Kettering, in July last year, police found a baton, cannabis and more than £1,000 in cash. In his Wood Street home in Kettering they discovered golf clubs, baseball bat and a machete. When detectives analysed his phone, they found evidence of drug dealing.

HMRC investigations showed although he’d paid a total of less than £1,000 in tax over recent years, he was still able to afford a lavish lifestyle.

But despite being caught in July, Northampton Crown Court heard that he continued to sell drugs for a further five months.

A further search of his home in on December 29, 2020, uncovered £9,990 in cash on his sofa, watches worth in excess of £75,000, designer jackets, jewellery, two bags containing a total of 21.5g of cocaine and cannabis.

His sister Louise’s home in Orchard Crescent, Kettering, was searched on the same day and police found 650g of cocaine of 85 per cent purity, £4,000 in cash in a safe, as well as bags used for dealing drugs.

The court was told she’d acted as her brother's administrator, dealing his drugs, transferring cash and booking him a flight to Amsterdam. Bank transfers showed her brother had given her £9,000, which she claimed was to help with expenses for her children.

A text message between the two said: “Sis, will you drop to me please?”

Phone evidence then led police to Sebastian Wala, 27, who had agreed to supply a kilogram of coke to Vanstone for £42,000. Hundreds of texts on the day of Vanstone’s arrest showed Wala becoming increasingly frustrated that he could not get hold of his co-conspirator in order to complete the deal.

There was also phone evidence that Wala was directly involved in buying cocaine from importers who brought the drug into the country on the back of lorries.

In Wala’s home in Kingfisher Way, Burton Latimer, which was searched in October last year, police discovered 612g of amphetamine that someone had attempted to flush down the toilet, scales, vacuum seal bags, £2,600 in cash, a machete, a gas-powered pistol, flares, incapacitating spray, designer watches. A second search in December uncovered iPhones, numerous bank cards and a Brazilian bank statement. There were also syringes, drips and saline discovered.

When Gareth Conybeare’s house in Lilac Place, Kettering, was searched on December 29, police found cannabis and phones. The court heard how he had been a street-level dealer, to whom Vanstone had sent customers. Texts were found between the pair confirming Conybeare's role at the bottom of the chain.

At Friday's (September 3) hearing at Northampton Crown Court, Dylan Vanstone admitted conspiracy to supply class-A drugs, possession of an offensive weapon, two counts of possession of criminal property, possession of cannabis and driving with no insurance.

Addressing Dylan Vanstone, who previously served time in 2017 for drug distribution charges, His Honour Judge David Herbert QC said he had played a high-level, significant role in the conspiracy with at least three people working for him, adding: “(The evidence) indicated you were living well in excess of your limited earnings. Phone evidence indicated you were engaging in significant drug dealing that led police to your sister’s house.

"You had your own, successful business supplying class-A drugs. It was a significant business."

Louise Vanstone admitted conspiracy to supply class-A drugs and possession of criminal property. She said that she knew her brother had been storing cocaine at her house but denied knowing the quantity.

To Louise Vanstone, Judge Herbert said: “Self-dealing drug bags indicated you were also selling cocaine as well as working on behalf of your brother.

”You were also supplying drugs to people sent to you by your brother.

"You performed a significant role in your brother's business. You must have been aware of the general extent of his drug dealing.

Wala admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs, possession of criminal property, possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of amphetamine. The court was told he was 'organising and buying on a commercial scale,' with 'substantial links to the original source.' Prosecutors suggested that texts showed he was the link between Vanstone and the importers.

Addressing Wala, Judge Herbert said: “There were message passing between you and Mr Vanstone that refer to him getting ‘one’ for 42k which, by inference, is a discussion for a kilogram of high purity cocaine which was about to be delivered. Dylan had the money and you, Wala, were about to deliver that to him.

"You were a man who was capable of supplying a kilo of high purity cocaine, something you were in the final stages of processing on December 29 when Mr Vanstone was arrested.

"It's clear you are well-connected. That kilo was not a one-off. Text messages show you'd supplied a wholesale amount on a previous occasion

Conybeare admitted conspiracy to supply class-A drugs and supplying cannabis.

Judge Herbert said: “Evidence shows you were supplying cocaine to customers that had been referred to you by Dylan Vanstone, repeatedly over six months.

Mitigating for all four was barrister Liam Muir. He said that Sebastian Wala did not have a significant amount of cocaine when his house was searched and said the amphetamine found was to feed his own personal addiction. He said the Pole had been in this country for 15 years and has worked for 14 of those years.

For Dylan Vanstone, Mr Muir said that conspiring with your sister was not akin to conspiring with a street-level dealer who you did not have a familial relationship with. He said that Louise Vanstone had been a single mum to three children who had worked 'extremely hard' in an 'important' job in a nursing home.

He added: "She had a slight addiction to cocaine and the matter snowballed.

"This has had a dramatic impact on her life. She's lost her career. She's been working on the healthcare wing in the prison.

"For someone who had sole care of her children to only being able to see them for an hour at a time, it's had a large impact."

Mr Muir said that Conybeare had joined the prison council since being in custody and was determined to stop offending.

As they were sentenced, the Vanstone's held hands behind the perspex partition between them. Louise sobbed as she stood to hear the length of her prison sentence, crying: "I can't.." as the judge spoke.

There were gasps from their extended family, who were present at the court hearing, when Judge Herbert outlined the sentencing guidelines and they cried as Louise was given her sentence, shouting 'I love you Dyl' as the pair were taken down.

All of the sentences were reduced by between 20 and 33 per cent for the guilty pleas.

Wala and Dylan Vanstone were each sentenced to a total of seven-and-a-half years in prison for conspiracy to supply class-A drugs, with shorter sentences to run concurrently for the offensive weapon and criminal property possession offences.

Louise Vanstone was given four-and-a-half years in prison including a six-month concurrent sentence for possession of criminal property.

Conybeare was sentenced to three-and-a-half years including a 12-month concurrent sentence for possession of cannabis.

All will serve half of their sentences before becoming eligible for release.

Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings, that could see the defendants deprived of some of their criminal, gains are due to take place later this year.