{"id":71632,"date":"2026-06-27T11:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/71632\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T11:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T11:07:44","slug":"widnes-gang-jailed-for-72-years-after-mexican-novas-costly-balloon-photo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/71632\/","title":{"rendered":"Widnes gang jailed for 72 years after ‘Mexican Nova’s’ costly balloon photo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Detectives monitored their activity over several months<\/p>\n

19:20, 26 Jun 2026Updated 19:21, 26 Jun 2026<\/p>\n

\"Colin<\/p>\n

Colin Jones sent a photograph of himself to another user on Encrochat, linking him to the Mexican Nova account(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

A crime gang was brought down after one of its members posted a picture of himself with a balloon. Colin Jones, Kevin Martindale, Kevin Smith, Leon Phillips, Jack Jones, Brandon McCann, Gary Holding, Colin Dolman and Peter Jensen were part of a Widnes-based Organised Crime Gang (OCG).<\/p>\n

An investigation, codenamed Operation Dominating, into their criminal<\/a> dealings began after detectives from Cheshire Police’s<\/a> Serious and Organised Crime Unit identified an EncroChat account operating under the username \u201cMexican Nova\u201d. Over several months, detectives closely monitored the account, carefully analysing each message sent via the encrypted platform.<\/p>\n

The communications revealed “Mexican Nova” was responsible for supplying multiple kilograms of illegal drugs for onward distribution.<\/p>\n

\"Jack<\/p>\n

Jack Jones mugshot(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

Using the Mexican Nova handle, Jones also detailed his involvement in assisting another high-level organised crime group with planning an importation to bring large amounts of drugs into the UK.<\/p>\n

In addition to drug trafficking, messages showed Mexican Nova was actively seeking to purchase a firearm magazine and ammunition, making several enquiries for what he referred to as \u201c9mm sweets\u201d.<\/p>\n

Just three days later, he finalised a deal and arranged for an associate to collect 85 rounds of 9mm ammunition from another EncroChat user in the Grappenhall area of Warrington<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Leon<\/p>\n

Leon Phillips(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

As the investigation progressed, it became increasingly clear the individual behind the account was Colin Jones. Growing more confident in the security of the EncroChat platform, Jones began revealing his identity within messages, referring to himself in one instance as \u201cCol from Widnes<\/a>\u201d and in another as \u201cthree phones Jones\u201d.<\/p>\n

The evidence became definitive when Jones sent a photograph of himself, holding a balloon and a gas canister, to another user on the platform. This image enabled detectives to conclusively link him to the EncroChat account and the associated drug supply network.<\/p>\n

Following this significant breakthrough, detectives then began to investigate Jones’ wider OCG.<\/p>\n

\"Gary<\/p>\n

Gary Holding(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

During this period, detectives established the group was responsible for sourcing and supplying more than 50kg of cocaine and 220kg of cannabis nationwide between September 2024 and November 2025.<\/p>\n

Jones was also linked to the importation of at least 49 litres of cannabis distillate (oil) from Los Angeles. The substance was shipped in multiple smaller parcels to addresses across Widnes and Liverpool, disguised as everyday items such as honey, cosmetic products such as shampoos and conditioners, and even lava lamps.<\/p>\n

Further enquiries revealed Jones was managing the OCG alongside his associate, Kevin Martindale. Together, they controlled a stash house and oversaw a network of couriers responsible for transporting drugs and cash across England and Wales.<\/p>\n

\"Brandon<\/p>\n

Brandon McCann(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

Covert officers observed Jones and Martindale conduct regular meetings at local caf\u00e9s. Martindale, a plasterer by trade, used his legitimate work to try and conceal his criminal enterprise.<\/p>\n

Leon Phillips was also identified as a key member of the group. Surveillance at his home address showed multiple OCG members visiting regularly, collecting packages before making significant journeys, indicating they were collecting drugs from the stash for onward distribution.<\/p>\n

Peter Jensen and Jack Jones acted as the primary couriers for the group. They hired vehicles to transport multi-kilo amounts of drugs and large quantities of counterfeit cigarettes to locations across the UK, including North Wales, South Wales, Cheltenham, Birmingham, and Manchester.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/p>\n

Kevin Martindale(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Colin Dolman was identified as a street-level dealer, regularly supplying drugs to users in the local area.<\/p>\n

Brandon McCann was one of the OCG\u2019s major customers, controlling a supply line within Widnes. During the conspiracy he purchased at least 10kg of cocaine from Jones and Martindale. He then controlled dealers to distribute the drugs throughout the town.<\/p>\n

Jones and Martindale would go on to pool these profits from their criminal enterprise to fund lavish lifestyles, including property renovations, luxury holidays, and high-end designer clothing and jewellery.<\/p>\n

Detectives also recovered detailed notes kept by Jones, revealing he had been involved in the transfer of at least \u00a31.2 million worth of cash and commodities during the conspiracy.<\/p>\n

\"Kevin<\/p>\n

Kevin Smith(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

In May 2025, Jones travelled to Dubai. In his absence, another member of the OCG, Kevin Smith, was entrusted with the \u2018graft\u2019 phone, used to manage the supply network. Acting on Jones\u2019 instructions, Smith directed Jensen to collect a significant quantity of drugs from Kent on June 6 2025.<\/p>\n

Jensen hired a car from Liverpool John Lennon Airport<\/a> and travelled to Kent. After collecting the package, and securing it in the back seat, he began the return journey to Widnes, maintaining regular contact with Smith and even sent him a voice note asking how much he would receive in wages for the pickup. However, while travelling on the M6 near Sandbach, Jensen was stopped by officers from Cheshire Police.<\/p>\n

He was arrested and the package, containing 20kg of cocaine, was seized. He was later charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and pleaded guilty as a result of the overwhelming evidence gathered against him.<\/p>\n

The drugs were analysed by a force specialist who estimated their wholesale value at between \u00a3340,000 and \u00a3600,000. At street-level distribution, their value could exceed \u00a32.8m.<\/p>\n

\"Peter<\/p>\n

Peter Jensen(Image: Cheshire Police)<\/p>\n

Startled by Jensen\u2019s arrest, Martindale booked a last-minute flight from Manchester to Malta. Two weeks later, he travelled to Cyprus to meet with Jones and remained out of the country for a number of weeks, before returning home to Widnes.<\/p>\n

On October 28 2025, Jones flew back into the UK via Manchester airport.<\/p>\n

With the OCG once again operating on UK soil, Cheshire Police conducted coordinated dawn raids at 11 addresses on November 8 2025, resulting in the arrest of seven men.<\/p>\n

Colin Jones, Kevin Martindale, Leon Phillips, Jack Jones, Colin Dolman, Brandon McCann, and Kevin Smith, were all subsequently charged for their respective roles in the drugs conspiracy.<\/p>\n

On November 11 2025, officers arrested Gary Holding at a hotel in Leeds. He was identified as a cannabis supplier for the OCG, using the imported cannabis oil to produce THC vapes and edibles, as well as supplying large quantities of cannabis. He was also charged in connection with the conspiracy.<\/p>\n

Faced with a comprehensive casefile of evidence, all men were left with no option but to plead guilty to the charges put to them.<\/p>\n

Eight of the men appeared at Liverpool Crown Court today, Friday, June 26. They were each individually sentenced to the following:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Colin Jones, 38, of Parklands, Widnes, was sentenced to 17 years\u2022 Kevin Martindale, 40, of Browning Avenue, Widnes, was sentenced to 15 years\u2022 Kevin Smith, 37, of Goodall Street, Liverpool, was sentenced to eight years and four months\u2022 Leon Phillips, 43, of Liebig Court, Widnes, was sentenced to eight years\u2022 Jack Jones, 29, of Melville Close, Widnes, was sentenced to five years and three months\u2022 Brandon McCann, 23, of Milton Avenue, Widnes, was sentenced to four years and five months\u2022 Gary Holding, 48, of The Glen, Runcorn, was sentenced to three years\u2022 Colin Dolman, 53, Stewards Avenue, Widnes, was sentenced to two years and eight months<\/p>\n

The ninth member of the OCG, Peter Jensen, 38, of Parbold Court, Widnes, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison at Chester Crown Court on Thursday, July 31 2025, after he had earlier pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Detectives monitored their activity over several months 19:20, 26 Jun 2026Updated 19:21, 26 Jun 2026 Colin Jones sent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":71633,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[141,61,2756,26918,5,6,4119],"class_list":["post-71632","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uk","tag-courts","tag-crime","tag-liverpool","tag-runcorn","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-widnes"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116821756685798302","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=71632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/71632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/71633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=71632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=71632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=71632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}