This chilling footage shows how a drug-dealing rapper attacked a rival gang member during a broad daylight drive by shooting.
Brutz, also known as Akeem Chand was one of a gang gun-toting thugs that were caught boasting about their wealth in music videos while claiming to ‘live like footballers’.
A court heard that the 27-year old bragged about his illegal earnings in increasingly extravagant videos, which helped to incriminate him as well as his gangster buddies.
He boasted of their drug-funded wealth, posed in jewellery, and claimed they needed a money counter’ to increase their profits.
Police arrested Chand following a series of shootings in Nottingham that took place in late 2018 or early 2019.
(Left-to-right): Akeem Chaud, 27, Orlando Escoffery 26, Quarnell Simpson 23, Devante Neufville 24, Kiefer Smith 28, and Alexsandro Woolery 27
Police in Nottinghamshire discovered a gun belonging the gang during a raid.
During searches of multiple properties belonging to gangsters, large amounts of drugs were found
During police raids, a number of pieces of evidence were found that were quite condemning.
The ‘dangerous gang’ sold heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and crack cocaine in Nottinghamshire. Pictured: Drugs discovered by police during a search
Chand fired multiple shots into Chand’s car as it traveled along a road during one shooting.
Just moments earlier, he and Quarnell Simpson, a fellow gang member, had set up an ambush in Bilborough.
CCTV footage showed Chand running on the road after Simpson got out of a car.
Simpson then turned around and lured the victim towards a Chand, who then pounced on the victim and fired a.44 calibre revolver from close quarters into his car.
The victim panicked and ran away from the scene, putting the lives of others in danger.
Chand was unaware that the attack on May 9, 2019 had been captured on victim’s dashcam, giving police a detailed account.
Investigators later discovered that Chand was the leader and commander of a gang that distributed large amounts of cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin throughout Nottinghamshire.
They found out that the crooks were ‘living as footballers or music artists’ and spent a lot of money on designer clothes, jewellery, holidays, and music videos.
A music video (pictured) shows some gang members relaxing on a private yacht while on a trip in Mexico.
The gang is seen shopping for Rolex watches in a music video for Brutz’s Lifestyle
Brutz can be seen flaunting large amounts of cash in a music video for Lifestyle.
A number of the gang members flew to Mexico’s Caribbean coast, where they stayed at a luxurious private villa and hired an expensive yacht.
Both were used as locations in a music video that was recorded on the trip. This eventually led to their downfall.
Another music video, also published on YouTube, showed members from the gang filming around a block and using it as a safe place to store drugs or guns.
High-definition drone footage was also helpful to detectives, which led them to the correct location.
The gang was the subject of a secret police operation. Listening devices placed in a car caught them discussing the sale and shooting of rivals.
After a 15-week trial at Nottingham Crown Court, Chand and six other Nottingham men were convicted last month of a string drug and weapons offenses.
They were found guilty in conspiracy to possess firearms with the intent to endanger lives and conspiracy to possess ammunition unaccompanied by a certificate.
Rapper Brutz (centre), along with two of his associates, arrive in Mexico for their luxury holiday on Mexico’s Caribbean coast.
The group can be seen in a music video enjoying a private yacht, despite not having any discernible legal income between them
A bracelet with ‘diamond-encrusted diamonds’ is shown in a Brutz music video. The caption is: ‘Morning intentions.
Each of them had pleaded guilty to conspiring supply class A and Class B drugs. Chand was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Monday.
Orlando Escoffery (26 years old) was sentenced to 23 years in prison, while Quarnell Simpson (24 years) and Devante Neufville (24 years) were sentenced to 20 years.
Alexsandro Woolery (27), and Kiefer Smith (28), will be sentenced for the same offenses at a later date.
Ravan Matherson-Simpson, 25 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A or class B drugs.
He was sentenced for nine years, and also was sent to jail for 16 months for an incident of affray.
Sarah Aplin (27), previously admitted to allowing a location to be used for the supply and distribution of controlled drugs and was sentenced for two years, three months.
Zak Charles, now 19 years old, was found guilty of conspiring to possess firearms with the intent to endanger human life and conspiracy not to possess ammunition without a permit.
The court was informed that Chand (pictured in one of his music videos), who ran the gang, was responsible for a sophisticated and highly profitable network of drug lines.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Bull of Nottinghamshire Police stated: “As this footage clearly shows, these men were extremely hazardous’
Charles was sentenced for eight-and-a half years in a young offenders institution.
Detective Chief Inspector Richard Bull, Nottinghamshire Police, stated that the footage shows that these men were extremely dangerous.
Chand and Chand had built an extremely profitable drug empire and were open to using potentially lethal violence to protect their profits from any rivals.
“Discharging a firearm in a residential area was an act of shocking recklessness that showed a callous disregard of the safety of nearby residents.
“It was only a matter luck that nobody was seriously injured or killed in this attack.
“Ultimately, it was the gang’s willingness to use violence that caused their downfall.
Shooting incidents are rare but extremely serious. When they do happen, we devote all resources necessary to find those responsible and remove their weapons from the streets.
“Why?” is the first question we ask in such investigations. Chand and his associates were directly implicated in this case, and they will each spend a considerable amount of time in jail due to their actions.
“I hope that today’s sentences will send a very clear message to other criminals regarding the potential consequences of acquiring or using illegal firearms.
“We will find and lock you up, and we will keep you there for a long time.”