Wigan men among nine jailed after investigation finds drug supply networks across UK and abroad

Reece Barnes, 31, was jailed for 12 years at Carlisle Crown Court, today for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, a spokesman for North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) said.

The investigation, which began in March 2022 after reports Barnes was selling cocaine in Windermere, found the supply of 350kg cocaine between crime groups across the UK and with links as far away as Portugal and Dubai.

Det Ch Supt Ian Whitehead said: “During the course of the investigation we estimated that there were about £50m worth of drugs involved in the conspiracy and we also managed to seize significant quantities of drugs.”

Officers found Barnes was meeting Stephen Stockall, 62, from a Cheshire-based organised crime group, who would hand over cocaine for £30,000 cash.

CCTV showed Barnes stash the drugs in a storage unit near his home in Windermere and detectives said he would sell them in small amounts, using the profits to pay for holidays and city breaks.

Stockall, of Weaverham, was arrested in February 2023 when his vehicle was stopped on the M56 and more than 40g of cocaine was found.

He was jailed for 12 years after admitting conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Barnes was arrested on February 4, 2023, in possession of 1kg of cocaine, following a drug deal with Cain Turner, 32, the NWROCU spokesman said.

Turner, of Hindley Green, delivered more than 22kg of cocaine to customers that day and when his car was stopped, £30,000 was found, according to police.

Detectives estimated Turner, who was jailed for eight years and eight months after admitting the conspiracy, transported more than 100kg of cocaine, with a street value of £13m.

He was being controlled by a crime group led by Andrew Stephens, 41, of Golborne, and Simon Buller, 45, of Atherton, police said .

The investigation revealed they were working with criminals in Dubai who were controlling the importation of cocaine from Holland and would send couriers to ports along the south coast to collect the drugs and store them in safe houses in Manchester.

In May 2023, courier Anthony Warhurst, 58, was stopped on the motorway with 50kg of cocaine, worth more than £5m.

Stephens was jailed for 20 years and Warhurst, of Leigh, for nine years and eight months after they pleaded guilty.

Buller is due to be sentenced next month.

Thomas Whittaker, 42, and Michael Evans, 36, both of Skelmersdale, were found to have been supplying cocaine to Barnes.

Officers discovered they were supplying it to customers across the country on the direction of a criminal group in Portugal.

During one trip to Cardiff, Evans was arrested with 7kg of cocaine, with a street value of more than £700,000.

Evans was jailed for six years and Whittaker for 12 after admitting their roles.

The NWROCU spokesman said Scott Owen, 33, and Daryl Preston, 36, from a Manchester-based crime group, also facilitated the supply of cocaine.

Owen, of Astley, was sentenced to 14 years six months after he was found guilty following a trial.

Preston, of Atherton, received 11 years and six months after pleading guilty, the NWROCU spokesman said.

Mr Whitehead said: “The convictions of these individuals will have a significant impact on drug supply in the North West and the UK as a whole because we have effectively shut down a drug importation route from Holland into the UK.

“Collectively, these individual crime groups assisted each other in distributing hundreds of kilos of cocaine not only to Reece Barnes, but to hundreds of customers across the UK.”