At the time, 37-year-old Samir Hassan was facing trial for being part of a city-based group which flooded the county
13:49, 10 Jul 2026Updated 14:30, 10 Jul 2026
Hassan worked for 50 Cent(Image: Getty Images/Derbyshire Police)
A member of a Derby drugs gang once worked for the rapper 50 Cent.
Derbyshire Police confirmed that the artist – real name Curtis James Jackson III – wrote a letter saying he would pay bail money, if necessary, so that Abrirahiim Hassan, known as Samir Hassan, could join his entourage on a European tour.
At the time, the 37-year-old was facing trial for being part of a city-based group which flooded the city and county with cocaine.
He was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was this morning – Friday, July 10, jailed for 20 years for the part he played as a link man between the capital and the gang in Derby.
Sentencing most of the group to a combined total of more than 127 years, Judge Jonathan Straw said: “These were two large-scale drug operations in Derby and each of these operations involved the purchase of numerous multi-kilo consignments of cocaine from high-level national distributors.
“The consignments would arrived into the county packaging in the same form they had left South America.
“Each was a slickly run criminal enterprise and each was well-established involving cooperation between each organised crime group..
“This was offending borne out of a lifestyle choice and not desperation. There was nothing glamorous or Netflix involved in what you were doing.
“Drugs are a blight on our society and lives are destroyed by this addiction.”
Dominic Hulland ran to Chaddesden arm of the conspiracy
Prosecutor Jonathan Cox said: “This case involved group enterprises which were heavily involved in the supply of very large quantities of class A drugs, into and undoubtedly throughout Derbyshire.
“The scale and reach of the overall enterprises was vast.
“They were involved in offending which was directly linked with groups involved in the importation of cocaine and was directly linked with and involved the national and regional distribution of cocaine.
“They are individuals who have committed themselves to the profession of drug dealing, they revel in the lifestyle of drug-trafficking; undoubtedly entirely motivated by the desire to profit from the sale of drugs and the perceived reputation that such occupation brings them.
“Rarely will the courts encounter such successful, high-level, relentless, serious, commercial, class A drug traffickers.”
Mr Cox said despite detectives seizing kilograms of drugs and thousands of pounds in cash during raids in Derby throughout 2024 and 2025, the gang “barely broke stride” and continued their illegal trade.
He said: “In July 2024, there was a collection of 739kg of cocaine.
“The cocaine had just been landed near Southampton, collected from the channel in an inflatable boat where it had been dropped from a container ship.
“Drug seizures (in Derby) is the clearest place to start.
“In Chaddesden on April 11, 2024, two kilograms was seized which was a fresh consignment and on July 12, 2024, one kilogram seized which had been untouched since importation.
“There were three empty kilogram block wrappings seized as the group was yet to have the time to dispose of the wrappings.
Aaron O’Donnell ran the Sinfin arm(Image: Derbyshire Police)
“These two seizures alone demonstrate an agreement to supply five kilograms.
“In Sinfin on May 8, 2024, 10 kilograms was seized which was a fresh consignment.”
Mr Cox gave examples of the lifestyles the drug dealing afforded the gang members.
He said: “In terms of pure profit, the two most senior figures accrued clothing worth nearly £100,000.
“On the basis of profits described by the gang members this alone would equate to sales of tens of kilograms of cocaine.
“In Sinfin, on April 23 and 24, one of the gang (Jordan Hudson) took two videos of large quantities of cash in his bedroom, estimated at £75,000 in the drawer and £120,000 on the bed.
“(One of the group) also gave a detailed account as to the jet-setting, entourage type, lifestyle he lived and (that he had) worked for an A-list musician (50 Cent).”
All of the gang either pleaded guilty to or were found guilty of charges including conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Dominic Hulland, 29, of Wood Road, Chaddesden, was head of the Chaddesden conspiracy and was jailed for 16-and-a-half years.
Aaron O’Donnell, 36, of Hobkirk Drive, Sinfin, was head of the Sinfin conspiracy and was also sent to prison for 14 years and eight months.
Harninder Purewal, 47, of Bridge Gate Lane, Derby, arranged the deliveries to the two conspiracies and was jailed for 20 years.
Abrirahiim (aka Samir) Hassan, 37, of London, was a link man between the capital and the East Midlands, provided the 50 Cent reference and lived “a jetset lifestyle” according to the judge.
He was handed an 18-and-a-half year sentence.
Tony Lewis, a 37-year-old father-of-four and of Robert Adam Road, Allestree, supplied multi kilos to the Chaddesden conspiracy and was handed an 11-year jail term,
Max Bowler, 31, of Carlton Road, Long Eaton, was “Dominic Hulland’s right hand man,” Judge Straw said, and was also found guilty of possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear or violence.
He was sent to prison for 13-and-a-half years.
Alan Hulland, 54, of Main Road, Elvaston, is the uncle of Dominic Hulland and was caught with 2kg of cocaine in a bag for life in an Audi he was driving and jailed for nine years.
Lucas Sankey, 29, of Duffield Road, Derby, was handed a sentence of eight-and-a-half years.
Valentino Talic, 30, of Beaufort Street, Chaddesden, was handed an eight-year term.
Nicholas Cleary, 32, of Dolobran Road, Birmingham, worked as a courier for Lewis and was jailed for seven-and-a-half years.
Kyle Steadman, 32, of Almond Street, Normanton; Jordan Hudson, 31, of Beaumont Walk, Sunny Hill; and Josh Keyland, 36, of Holderness Close, Stenson Fields, will all be sentenced next week.