SHEFFIELD, U.K. — Three members of a violent drug gang, including Tommy Maughan and Kai Bean, both 21, have been sentenced for running a heroin and crack cocaine operation worth nearly £280,000 across the Woodhouse area of Sheffield.
The two men and a 17-year-old boy—who cannot be named due to his age—used vulnerable drug users’ homes as drug preparation and distribution hubs, forcing them to sell narcotics under threats and violence. At Sheffield Crown Court, all three admitted to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Maughan and Bean each received six-year prison terms, while the teenager was sentenced to three years in a youth detention centre.
Over a 12-month period from July 2023 to July 2024, the gang sold an estimated 1.23kg of crack cocaine and 1.54kg of heroin through around 3,000 transactions involving 79 users. Orders were arranged via multiple burner phones, as the gang flooded the streets with drugs.
Maughan, of Badger Close in Sheffield, faced additional charges, including two counts of dangerous driving, assaulting an emergency worker, criminal damage, driving without insurance or a licence, and a Section 20 wounding offence. The teen was also convicted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, Recorder of Sheffield, emphasized the severity of their crimes during sentencing:
“Drug dealing is a pernicious trade, particularly when it involves Class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine. It sabotages the lives of those addicted and drives other criminality.”
South Yorkshire Police’s Det Supt Nikki Shimwell described the gang as “brutal” and praised the courage of the exploited victims whose testimonies helped secure the convictions.
“Kai Bean, Tommy Maughan, and the boy who we are unable to name caused misery in Woodhouse. I’m pleased they will now be serving time behind bars where they cannot cause further harm,” she said.
The convictions were part of the police’s “Clear, Hold, Build” initiative, launched in July 2024 to tackle organized crime in the region.
