Two members of an organised criminal group who distributed millions of pounds worth of Class A drugs across the UK have been jailed.
Stephen Buckley and Scott Chadwick-Greer from Thornton Cleveleys were stopped in September last year at Tebay services where 17kgs of Cocaine was found in the boot of their hired Kia Stonic.
31-year old Chadwick-Greer was arrested and 39-year-old Buckley ran off but was arrested a short time later.
Following the arrests the Serious and Organised Crime Unit launched Operation Black Forest which evidenced that they were part of an organised crime group responsible for collecting multi-kilo consignments of Cocaine from ports in the south of England and transporting them into Lancashire and beyond.
The investigation identified through telephony that Buckley and Chadwick-Greer were responsible for the distribution of at least 57 kilogrammes of cocaine across the UK between April and September 2023 with a value of over 4.5 million pounds.
They pleaded guilty in January at Preston Crown Court to Conspiracy to Supply Class A drugs.
Buckley, of Lancaster Avenue, Thornton Cleveleys was jailed for nine years and ten months and Chadwick-Greer, of Oak Avenue, Thornton Cleveleys, to eight years and eight months.
Detective Chief Inspector James Edmonds said:” This is yet another example of Lancashire’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit’s relentless efforts to take drugs off our streets by combatting their supply.
“The activities of drug dealers can have such a negative effect on our communities. They can ruin lives, fuel other crime and can instil fear in our neighbourhoods.
“We will not tolerate the supply and selling of drugs in our county and I hope that the sentences handed down send out a clear message that we are determined to bring to justice those who are involved in the supply of drugs in our county and beyond and we will continue to tackle organised crime on this scale.”
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