DETECTIVES believe a "Mr Big" of East Yorkshire's drug underworld made millions from his crimes. Edward Badago's heroin-dealing gang is thought to have made more than £25,000 every week from a distribution centre covering Bransholme alone. Police believe Badago had similar bases in north, east and west Hull, potentially taking his earnings to £100,000 a week.
Detective Sergeant Ian Dobson, of Humberside Police, said: "I investigate organised crime groups and I have known of no bigger. Edward Badago is a Mr Big in the criminal world. In this part of the world, he sits on top of the pyramid as a pharaoh."
Badago, 35, was yesterday convicted by a jury of conspiring to supply heroin after a two-week trial at Hull Crown Court. His wife Lisa, 23, described as a "drug-dealer's Wag", was found guilty of laundering £26,000 of drug money. Heroin addict Jolene Thompson-Carney, 31, was also convicted of being part of the conspiracy.
After the verdicts were announced, a smiling Badago asked Judge Buckingham: "Can I go now?" When she said yes, he replied, "Nice one".
Thompson-Carney shook her head and said: "It's a miscarriage of justice, that."
When police raided Badago's caravan in Routh, they found £68,000 in cash and a Rolex watch worth £38,000. He and his wife had Mercedes cars and went on several luxury holidays, including a honeymoon in Barbados and trips to Rhodes, Egypt and Tunisia. Neither had jobs.
Detective Constable Neil Kitching, who investigated the case, said: "He has done this for nothing but greed. We have unearthed a very small part of this operation. We know one centre was making about £55,000 every two weeks and we think there would be three more similar centres."
Badago is now facing years behind bars after his conviction. His second-in-command Adrian "Ado" Owen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin on the ninth day of the trial.
DS Dobson said: "It was very difficult to catch Badago with drugs, but it is very revealing how he had so much cash and how his lifestyle was. This displays he was the Mr Big in heroin in Hull."
The gang used a house in Swinderby Garth, Bransholme, to take delivery of heroin from outside the city. The drugs would then be transported to a house in Mullion Close, off Wawne Road, where they would be broken down into smaller amounts and sold on to dealers.
DC Kitching said: "These wouldn't be street sellers, they would be dealers who would sell it on again to street dealers."
When police raided the house in Swinderby Garth, they found 110g of heroin – worth about £5,000 – stashed in rucksacks in the downstairs toilet of the house. Bags of cash were also found inside, as well as a small cannabis factory.
Owen, 32, was in the house with a woman. His fingerprints were found on a mobile phone, which was found in the rucksack holding the heroin, along with sealable plastic bags and digital scales that had traces of heroin on them.
In Mullion Close, police found £8,650 stuffed behind the stereo and digital scales with traces of heroin and cannabis. Thompson-Carney was inside with two other men, Robert Jackson and Ian Smalley, who admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin.
Judge Buckingham released Thompson-Carney on bail, but warned her she will be facing a "substantial sentence of imprisonment". Kevin Rickatson was also a member of the gang and has admitted possession of heroin with intent to supply. All seven members of the gang will be sentenced next month.
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