An organised crime ring comprising individuals from Wigan and Skelmersdale was apprehended by investigators who discovered a vast drug trafficking network akin to Amazon, through which drugs valued at much to £53 million were transported across the United Kingdom.
The Carlisle Crown Court heard how police arrested three prominent figures and confiscated their phones after finding a 1 kg class A drug stockpile at Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District in early February 2023.
Officers gathered a “mammoth amount” of comprehensive evidence during what turned out to be Cumbria’s largest-ever drug investigation. Among the evidence was a devastating WhatsApp group messaging exchange, which revealed that ten individuals, the majority of whom were from Greater Manchester, had all been essential components of a massive illicit cocaine supply chain.
Eventually, nine of the men were apprehended and charged with conspiring to supply the class A drug. After a trial earlier this year, a 10th was found guilty of the crime.
Today, March 13, as their sentence hearing began, prosecutor Tim Evans described the plot’s scope as “truly massive.”
Extremely reliable criminal couriers moved in excess of 300kg of high purity cocaine, valued at street level between £35 million and £53 million. The medication was brought into the UK from overseas, stored, and then sent to other towns and cities. Newcastle, Hexham, and Cumbria were among the places visited.
“It featured places including the Fylde coast, Yorkshire, various parts of the Midlands, the North East, South and North Wales, and various other parts of England and Wales,” Mr. Evans said, describing the total geographic scope as “extremely wide.”
Those at the top of the criminal hierarchy interacted with high-ranking persons in Portugal as well as cartels in Dubai.
One OCG was led by leading lights Andrew Stephens, 41, of East Field Drive, Golborne, and Simon Buller, 45, of Freshfield Avenue, Atherton.
Buller was connected to a second OCG in Lancashire as well.
Another key player was Daryll Preston, 36, of Hampson Street, Atherton. He was friends with Scott Owen, 33, of Salisbury Way, Tyldesley, who supplied cocaine and had international connections.
A Cumbrian arm of the business, Reece Barnes, 31, of Elim Grove, Bowness-on-Windermere, was a “regional retailer.”
After hiding the stuff in a Lakes lock-up, he sourced and delivered kilogram quantities on a commercial basis within the county.
Stephen Stockall, 63, of Well Lane, Weaverham, Northwich, was Barnes’ primary supplier. He traveled to Cumbria 16 times, eight times for cocaine deliveries and eight times for cash pickups. In addition, Stockall operated a different drug-dealing ring out of Cheshire.
Four crooked couriers were trusted with hundreds of thousands of pounds’ worth of cash and cocaine worth potentially millions of pounds.
Between them, Thomas Whittaker, 45, of Brierfield, Digmoor, Skelmersdale; Michael Evans, 36, of no fixed address; and Cain Turner, 32, of Greater Manchester, made several trips around England, into Wales, and to Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Anthony Warhurst, 58, of Knowsley Street, Leigh, gathered cast amounts of cocaine that had been brought into Harwich on three different occasions.
“This was an inter-linked group of people, say the Crown, and supply relationships would shift within the conspiracy if a particular conspirator was having difficulties at a particular time,” Mr. Evans said of the general “business model” used in the case.
The court heard that some of the criminal “middle men” involved in the scheme never really obtained cocaine for themselves and never used their own couriers. Rather, they only served as “brokers” for the drug supply, connecting product makers with wholesale dealers and collecting payment for their services.
Mr. Evans went on, “This is Amazon-style drug-dealing with that level of organization and commerciality about it,” giving a nod to the massive online retailer.
Later today and tomorrow (March 14), barristers for each conspirator will present their cases and offer mitigation before Judge Nicholas Barker imposes the appropriate punishments.