Class A drugs courier from Wing jailed

Will Owens, aged 24, from Well Lane, Wing, was a member of an organised crime gang who ran an intricate network of couriers and dealers across the UK.

Liam Stray, 37, of Earls Barton, Paul Bush, 38, of Rushden, and Stuart Bailey, 33, of Raunds, were in charge of 17 men and women who transported and sold drugs.

Detectives found regular arrangements for the purchase of 71 per cent purity cocaine from Luton and Manchester before being transported to Northampton.

East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) uncovered that the gangsters diluted down the drug with dangerous chemicals to push onto the streets.

EMSOU bust the UK scheme with help from Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and Greater Manchester Police and recovered £85,000 in cash as well as 125g of heroin.

In total, 32 courier runs by the couriers run by Stray and Bush were linked to the Luton area, which would have supplied in excess of 9.5kg (21lbs) of high-purity cocaine with a street value of £4 million.

A further three drugs exchanges were identified between Bailey and a Manchester group with an estimated exchange of 1.5 kilos of cocaine.

Stray was jailed for 12 years and eight months at Northampton Crown Court on Friday.

Bush was caged for 12 years and Bailey received ten years and eight months behind bars.

All the defendants, except Tony Bolton, 42, of Rushden and Brian Kingsnorth, 33, of Corby, Northants, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Kingsnorth was found guilty and Bolton admitted a different charge or money laundering.

Owens, received three years and eight months.

Sentencing the gang, Judge Michael Fowler said: “Drugs kill people. They ruin lives, not just of those who take them, but the lives of their families.

“Ruin lives of many children. All of you know that. Many know as you’ve seen through your own lives what drugs do to people and families.

“It is a deep-seated problem, made probable because people like you continue to feed flames. Too greedy and shallow to balance desire for easy money against damage you do.

“What makes your actions particularly stupid is penalties are so great it makes no sense to risk it for the short term benefit you get from money. It’s plain some of you are just bad.”