£30m ‘Coke-on-Trent’ drugs plot dealers jailed
A MULTI-MILLION pound drug racket smuggled cocaine cutting agents from China to the UK in parcels disguised as decorating materials, a court heard.
Drug rings in Manchester and Staffordshire imported the drugs under the names of Charles and Charlie – both references to cocaine.
One of the dealers was even nicknamed ‘Gaz – Coke-onTrent.’
The drugs were labelled as types of decorating materials including ‘nylon powders’ and ‘pigments,’ in a bid to avoid detection.
Experts calculated the street value of cocaine when cut with the 425kg of imported benzocaine at more than £30m.
At Staffordshire Crown Court, 12 members of the racket were jailed for a range of drug offences – including two men from Manchester.
Brian Bowden, 40, of Waterside View, Droylsden, was sentenced to 14 years and eight months after admitting two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Gary Davies, 36, of Arrowsmith Walk, Ancoats, was sentenced to eight years after admitting to the same offences.
Manchester-based Bowden, led the cocaine supply side of the operation, the court heard.
An investigation conducted by Staffordshire Police’s Major and Organised Crime department – which began in 2015 – intercepted quantities of benzocaine at Manchester and Coventry Airport.
On June 1, 2016, Bowden and an accomplice were arrested in Manchester with half a kilo of high-purity cocaine seized from a vehicle and Bowden’s Droylsden address. Earlier that day, Bowden and a man named Gareth Marsh met up at a Little Chef in Knutsford, and exchanged a brick-like package believed to be a large quantity of cash.
On May 17, 2016, 30.76kg of benzocaine addressed to a home in Stoke-on-Trent was seized at Manchester Airport.
Documents at the address identified further benzocaine shipments in 2015 and 2016.
Large quantities of benzocaine and items used in the commercial production of cocaine were later seized from a container in Park Hall, Stoke, used by Marsh.
On June 2 about £11,000 was seized from Gareth Marsh’s home address.
Staffordshire Police’s detective inspector Lesley Fowler said: “This was a sophisticated and highly-organised operation supplying drugs nationwide.”