A drug dealer who was kidnapped and shot in woods near Holmfirth has been jailed.
Neil Hazelwood was found in Hagg Wood at Thongsbridge with gunshot wounds to his chest in September 2013.
He had been taken hostage by rival dealers who demanded £100,000 or £2kg of cocaine.
He was found in the road by a passing cyclist and taken to Huddersfield Royal Infirmary in a critical condition.
On Friday at Preston Crown Court, Hazelwood was one of 13 men jailed for a total of 62 years and nine months for their part in a drugs and money laundering gang.
Hazelwood from Whitefield near Bury, was sentenced to 11-and-a-half-years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A, possessing Class A, B and C with intent to supply and money laundering.
Joanna White, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Today this gang of organised criminals have been sentenced to more than 62 years for the large scale supply of drugs throughout the North West and Yorkshire.
“During the course of the operation, police recovered over 8 kilograms of heroin, 2 kilograms of cocaine, over 3 kilograms of cannabis, and over 6000 tablets containing Class A drugs with a potential street value of over £2 Million pounds, along with over £100,000 in cash.
“These defendants were responsible for a major drugs supply network which has flooded East Lancashire with large quantities of Class A drugs over a significant period of time.
“When attending criminal meetings they regularly changed or pooled cars in an attempt to avoid detection, unaware that the police were already watching closely.
“On one occasion they were detected collecting a large quantity of cocaine from Liverpool and delivering it to Bury. Seizure by the police of the cocaine led to blackmail and firearms offences being committed against one of the defendants. Other key meetings included a hand over of heroin to a Yorkshire drug dealer for £60,000 in cash.
“Two of the defendants also attempted to evade being stopped by police by driving dangerously in built up areas on East Lancashire roads, putting the lives of anyone in the area at the time at risk.
“We have worked closely alongside the police from the outset of the investigation, which has involved the detailed analysis of complex evidence, to build a strong case against each of these defendants. As a result, we have successfully dismantled a prominent source of drugs in the region and those responsible now face substantial prison sentences. We will now seek to confiscate their assets obtained from their criminal activity under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
“The message is clear – the CPS is wholly committed to prosecuting those who are involved in the supply of drugs and we will continue to work closely with the police to ensure that they are brought to justice .”
Hazelwood’s alleged attackers Michael Sierotko of Glossop and Anthony Leonard of Hadfield were cleared of his attempted murder at Manchester Crown Court in August last year .
But Sierotko was jailed for nine-and-a-half years after being found guilty of manufacturing a gun and conspiring to blackmail.
Individual sentences:
Anwar Ahmed was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A
Furqan Amjad was sentenced to 4 and a half years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A
Mohammed Zishan Amjad was sentenced to 6 years for conspiracy to supply Class A and possessing criminal property
Shiraz Afzal was sentenced to 5 years and 9 months imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A
Neil Hazelwood was sentenced to 11 and a half years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A, possessing Class A, B and C with intent to supply and money laundering
James Taylor was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A and possessing Class A with intent to supply
Ziad Khaliq was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A and dangerous driving. He is also disqualified from driving for 98 weeks with extended retest.
Haroon Mahmood was sentenced to 4 years and 4 months imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A and dangerous driving. He is also disqualified from driving for 2 years with extended retest.
Shahid Akhtar was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A
Carl Daniels was sentenced to 40 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 2 years with 200 hours unpaid work for money laundering
Mohammed Azad was sentenced to I year imprisonment, suspended for 2 years with 200 hours unpaid work for money laundering
David Hazelwood was sentenced to 4 and a half years for possessing Class A, B and C with intent to supply and money laundering
Ihsaan Ali was sentenced to 2 and a half years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply Class A
Nasar Ahmed was previously sentenced to 2 years and 8 months imprisonment for money laundering
