Organized crime gangs are terrorizing communities in Northeast England, engaging in violent feuds and exploiting vulnerable children, according to reports detailing the extent of their operations. The rivalry between prominent gangs, such as the Sayers and Freeman families, has been marked by arson, ramming attacks, and assaults, highlighting a deep-seated conflict over the drug trade.
Escalating Gang Warfare
The recent fatal crash on the A66, which claimed the lives of five youths and two police officers, has brought the underlying tensions between organized crime groups (OCGs) into sharp focus. Investigations suggest links between some of the A66 crash victims and the Freeman organized crime group. John Freeman, believed to be a leader of this gang, has a history of violence, including a conviction for assault and drug dealing in 2019. His relatives posted tributes to Michael Cahill, one of the A66 crash victims, who was pictured with masked men at a trial for John Freeman.
Another prominent family involved in these conflicts is the Sayers family. CCTV footage captured crime boss John Henry Sayers, 62, and his son John Henry Sayers Junior, 29, attacking Walter Patterson, 38, who had previously rammed and set fire to a car outside their family restaurant and home. While Sayers Snr and Jnr were cleared of grievous bodily harm on self-defense grounds, Patterson was jailed. The Old Bailey heard that the Sayers family had been subjected to a series of attacks in the lead-up to this incident, including arson and ramming of properties. John Henry Sayers Snr has a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for armed robbery, tax fraud, and perverting the course of justice.
Tactics of Exploitation
Policing experts warn that these OCGs are increasingly recruiting vulnerable children through county lines operations. These gangs exploit young people, often as young as 13 or 14, for drug trafficking. Nick Edgar, a senior lecturer in policing at Teesside University, described the process: "Some kids in Cleveland are 13 or 14 years old... They have just got involved with the wrong company at the wrong time in the wrong location, and now they are in this cycle of literally being intrinsically involved in criminality." These young individuals are often seen as "expendable" by the gangs, taking on risky roles for small financial rewards that can quickly escalate into debt and control.
County lines operations involve gangs from urban areas establishing drug supply networks in smaller towns and rural areas, often using young, impressionable individuals to ferry drugs and money. Edgar explained how this can ensnare young people: "What starts off as something completely inconspicuous' can end up in them being 'in the pocket of the OCGs'" after being coerced into drug-related activities.
Wider Impact and Fear
The violence and criminal activity are not confined to specific neighborhoods. Edgar noted that OCGs are migratory, moving between different areas of the region and the country, including cities like Liverpool, Manchester, and Sheffield, indicating a complex and interconnected underground network. "If you did spider diagram, you'd find that lots of areas of the UK are probably connected in some way, shape, or form," he said.
Communities in areas like Middlesbrough, particularly the TS6 and TS3 postcodes, have long been hotspots for criminal activity, with established rivalries between different areas. Following the A66 crash, a surge in violence has been reported, including car rammings and a fatal house fire, though police have not always directly linked these incidents to the crash itself, while not ruling out connections to wider organized crime. Ben Houchen, mayor for Tees Valley, stated that the community widely accepts the violence is a result of retaliation between feuding families and gangs.
Local residents express fear and a sense of being trapped, with some feeling unsafe even in their own homes and shops. Andy McDonald, the MP for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East, described the situation as "terrorism" and called for an appropriate response to deal with those causing mayhem. Cleveland Police have made a number of arrests since the A66 crash and have launched an investigation into organized crime in Middlesbrough, but the underlying issues of gang warfare and exploitation continue to plague the region.