David Ollive, a courier for organised crime groups, has been sentenced to eight years imprisonment for the delivery of 22 kilos of cocaine.

Ollive made nine trips between Coventry and the North East during March to May 2020.

The illicit substance was valued over £830,000.

Northumbria Police's specialist officers, as part of Operation Venetic, apprehended Ollive in October 2020.

Initially, he denied his involvement, attributing the trips to his pool table restoration business.

However, in February 2023, Ollive was charged on two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine. On August 1, he pleaded guilty at Newcastle Crown Court.

Following the sentence hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Marc Michael, of Northumbria Police, said: "This is a superb result following tireless work from our officers who are dedicated to identifying and disrupting these networks.

"Ollive was fully aware of the illegalities of his actions and profited from the trade of substances which prove so destructive and harmful to our communities."