EIGHT people have been jailed for their roles in a ‘sophisticated and profitable’ county lines conspiracy which saw large quantities of Class A drugs supplied between Manchester and Barrow.
John Thompson, 44, Kirsty Davidson, 36, Latham Burke, 49, and Stephen Payne, 53, all received lengthy custodial sentences at Preston Crown Court on July 15.
It follows the sentencing last week of:
- Jordan Baker, 28, of Hulme Street in Salford, to seven years in prison.
- Sarah Sayle, 50, of Beech Street, Barrow, to 68 months in prison
- Moneeb Sheikh, 26, of Rosslyn Road, Manchester to 33 months in prison
- Hannah Feeley, 25, of Stelfox Street, Eccles to three years in prison.
A ninth defendant - Sheldon McDuffus, 26, of Stelfox Street, Eccles - was also sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years for possession with intent to supply cannabis.
A tenth defendant – Isaiah Gunter, 24, of Hetchleys, Hemel Hempstead – is due to be sentenced in September 2024.
The County Line was valued by a drug expert as supplying more than £110,000 worth of drugs in Barrow over a four-month period, with a total weight of Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) of more than 1kg.
The court heard that a leading role in the conspiracy was played by Baker.
His role involved sending out bulk advertisement messages to local drug users, preparing large amounts of Class A drugs for onward sale through 'washing' cocaine into crack cocaine and breaking down weighted amounts of heroin and crack cocaine into deal-ready wraps and co-ordinating the other members of the conspiracy.
Detective Constable Graeme Benson, of Cumbria Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: "This was a complex and far-reaching conspiracy which involved the exploitation of children in order to further exploit local drug addicts primarily in the Barrow area.
"The sentences handed down are significant.
“These convictions resulted from diligent street-level work from officers on the ground and a professional and thorough investigation from detectives.
“In Cumbria we will continue to work closely with our partner police forces to target those who believe they can bring dangerous Class A drugs into our communities.
“We continue to urge the public to report any suspicions of drug dealing activity in their area. That one piece of intelligence could be the catalyst that results in our locking up of more predatory drug suppliers.”
Prosecutor Philip Hall said Thompson and Davidson were drug addicts who were caught with 1.5 kg of cocaine at their shared home address on Wordsworth Street in Barrow on November 1 2022.
Mr Hall said the Class A drugs had a potential value of £12,320 if sold at street level.
The court was told Thompson also acted as a street dealer for the MK Line, a mobile phone used to advertise, sell and deliver heroin and cocaine between September 21 – November 28 2022.
Mr Hall said Thompson and Davidson housed co-defendant street dealer Moneeb Sheikh, 25, of Rosslyn Road in Old Trafford, as well as another youth at their home address.
Both defendants had been released on police bail into the seizure of £1,270 cash and three wraps of Class A drugs just days earlier on October 20 2022.
In mitigation for Thompson, Gerard Rogerson said his client ‘had made a real mess of his life' having been destroyed by the use of Class A drugs.
Kimberley Obrusik, representing Davidson, said she had become addicted to Class A drugs after meeting Thompson when she was 21 years old.
The court heard Burke acted as a drug dealer in Barrow and housed a 17-year-old child in his flat on Raglan Court in Barrow for a period of just over one week.
He was found to have two wraps of heroin valued at £10 in his possession when officers arrested him on September 19 2022.
Upon further inspection at his home address, officers located a 6.32-gram lump of crack, plus two wraps of heroin and 18 wraps of cocaine, Mr Hall said.
The court heard there was also evidence of the preparation of drugs within the flat.
Burke and Payne were convicted by a jury after trial.
Also representing Burke, Ms Obrusik said her client played a ‘lesser role’ in the conspiracy.
Payne’s role entailed travelling from Barrow to Manchester on November 7, November 26 and November 29 to pick up and restock drugs, as well as picking up another 17-year-old youth on two of those occasions to deal drugs, the court was told.
Co-defendant Sheldon McDuffus, 27, was also sentenced after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Mr Hall said 786 grams of the Class B drug was recovered from his home on Stelfox Street, Eccles, Manchester, after a police raid.
The court heard if sold at street value that this would have had a total value of £7,863.
McDuffus admitted to earning over £10,000 in a single month from the operation when giving evidence during a trial, the court was told.
Representing McDuffus, Alex Benny said his client had ‘made efforts to work and make enough money to support himself having obtained a construction qualification.
His Honour Judge Darren Preston jailed Thompson for 65 months, Davidson for 58 months, Burke for 36 months and Payne for 30 months.
McDuffus was handed an 18-month suspended sentence for two years with requirements to complete 20 RAR days and 200 hours of unpaid work.
When sentencing each defendant individually, Judge Preston described the conspiracy as being ‘sophisticated and profitable’.
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