Police swoop at M6’s Tebay Services smashed multi-million pound drugs racket
A police swoop on England's best loved motorway services smashed a multi-million pound drugs operation. Stephen Buckley and Scott Chadwick-Greer, from Thornton-Cleveleys[1], were stopped in September last year at Tebay services on the M6[2] in Cumbria. In the boot of their hired Kia Stonic were 17kgs of cocaine.
Greer, 31, was arrested and Buckley, 39, ran off but was arrested a short time later. Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit launched Operation Black Forest following their arrests which found 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 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 GBP4.5m.
The drugs found in the boot of the hire car at Tebay Services
They pleaded guilty in January at Preston[4] Crown Court[5] to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and on Monday (April 14), Buckley, of Lancaster[6] Avenue, Thornton Cleveleys was jailed for nine years and ten months.
Chadwick-Greer, of Oak Avenue, Thornton Cleveleys, was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison.
Stephen Buckley
Detective Chief Inspector James Edmonds said: "This is yet another example of Lancashire[7]'s Serious and Organised Crime[8] 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.
Scott Chadwick-Greer
"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."
Anyone with information about drugs can contact police on 101 or independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
References
- ^ Thornton-Cleveleys (www.lancs.live)
- ^ the M6 (www.lancs.live)
- ^ Manchester Airport stormed by police following major UK operation (www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
- ^ Preston (www.lancs.live)
- ^ Court (www.lancs.live)
- ^ Lancaster (www.lancs.live)
- ^ Lancashire (www.lancs.live)
- ^ Crime (www.lancs.live)