Three members of organised crime gang jailed after £1.2 million of cocaine and machine gun found in Fletton

Three members of an organised crime gang (OCG) in Peterborough have been jailed after more than a million pounds worth of cocaine – and four guns – were found in a Fletton home.

Police have said the operation has ‘prevented serious harm’ in the community after the drugs and weapons were taken off city streets.

Peterborough Crown Court heard how officers were carrying out enquiries at a house in Fletton in September 2020 when they found a fully automatic “Luger” machine pistol, the magazines of which were loaded, a loaded 9mm “Smith and Wesson” pistol, a loaded revolver, another self-loading pistol and about £1.2million worth of cocaine.

Forensic examination of the firearms showed DNA matches for three men – Ignas Daumantas, 34, Dainius Cechavicius, 40, and Aleksej Sergejev, 45.

Arrests made across the country

Daumantas was arrested at Luton Airport about to leave the UK on 14 February last year, while Cechavicius was arrested at his home in Hawksbill Way, Peterborough, on 19 March last year where police found three golf-ball sized packages of cannabis and almost £11,000 in cash which was stashed behind his toilet.

Sergejev was arrested at his home in Barnby Gate, Newark, Nottinghamshire, on 7 April last year, where officers found about £24,000 in cash, as well as cannabis and cocaine.

Jail sentences handed out at Peterborough court

Cechavicius appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (1 September) where he admitted possession of a firearm and money laundering, as well as production of cannabis relating to a previous arrest. He was sentenced the same day to six years in prison.

Daumantas, of no fixed address, was sentenced to five years in prison at Peterborough Crown Court on 28 March this year, after admitting possession of a firearm.

On the same day, Sergejev was jailed for seven years and eight months after admitting possession of a firearm, possession of cocaine, possession with intent to supply cannabis and acquiring criminal property – cash.

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue those posing the greatest risk to our communities"

Detective Constable Luke Pedlar, who investigated for Cambridgeshire Police, welcomed the sentences handed out, and said: “There have been multiple long and complex investigations to dismantle this OCG, which began unravelling almost two years ago. Through many hours of investigation, a significant group involved with firearms has been removed from Peterborough and put behind bars.

“This was a significant disruption to organised crime in Cambridgeshire which was found to have links to other areas of the country. Taking four firearms and £1.2million of cocaine out of circulation has undoubtedly prevented serious harm.

“We will continue to relentlessly pursue those posing the greatest risk to our communities and make Cambridgeshire a hostile environment for organised crime.”

A number of other gang members were jailed earlier this year, after a ‘drugs runner’ was stopped by police due to his bad driving.

A total of eight people received prison sentences in April after being charged with a number of drug offences as part of the major operation.