A Bacup man and a former serviceman have been sentenced for their involvement in a drug trafficking operation
Bacup: So, a couple of guys just got some serious time for their roles in a drug ring. One of them, Oliver Harrison, was a serviceman who turned to dealing after hitting a rough patch financially.
He was moving around kilos of cocaine and heroin, and even got involved in transferring a gun for the gang. Not exactly the best career move, right?
Harrison, 34, and Peter Downs, 47, from Bacup, were both sentenced after police cracked down on their encrypted chats during lockdown. They were using these secret phones to plan their drug deals.
Downs was a big player in the operation, handling the wholesale side of things for cocaine and cannabis. The court heard that their drug network was pretty well-established by mid-2020.
They had some wild nicknames too—Downs was called ‘Garden Snail’ and Harrison went by ‘Optimal Tail’. The head honcho was known as ‘Invisible Knight’. Sounds like something out of a movie, doesn’t it?
During the trial, it came out that Downs was heavily involved in buying and distributing drugs, while Harrison was more of a courier, moving collections and deliveries. He even had a stash of amphetamine in his freezer when the cops searched his place.
Harrison’s lawyer argued that he was just a courier trying to make ends meet, but the judge wasn’t buying it. He pointed out that everyone has tough times, but not everyone turns to dealing drugs.
In the end, Downs got 13-and-a-half years, while Harrison was sentenced to eight years. The judge did show some sympathy for their situations but made it clear that their choices led to their families suffering.
It’s a tough story, but it’s a reminder that sometimes, when life gets hard, people make choices that can lead to serious consequences.
