Four men jailed after ‘£830,000 haul of Class A drugs’ and three firearms seized from industrial unit in Darwen

Four men have been jailed after police found an £830,000 haul of Class A drugs and three firearms in an industrial unit in Darwen.
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Officers executed a search warrant at the property in Kay Street in October 2019

A locked safe box containing £480,000 of cocaine with an 80 per cent purity was found as well £353,000 of amphetamine inside a freezer.

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Two handguns with rounds of ammunition, a silencer and a pump action shotgun with shotgun shells were also discovered.

Two bottles of hydrochloric acid, the working parts of a drugs press and drugs packaging were also seized during the search.

Nobody was inside the property at the time.

Extensive CCTV enquiries showed defendants Ben Snell and Damien Derbyshire entering and leaving the unit in the months prior to the raid.

Mercedes Citan and Citroen Berlingo vans, which had hidden compartments in the back, were both seized during the course of the investigation.

Top row: L to R - Ben Snell and Damien Derbyshire. Bottom row: L to R - Jay Thomas Carney and Ryan O’Donnell. (Credit: Lancashire Police)Top row: L to R - Ben Snell and Damien Derbyshire. Bottom row: L to R - Jay Thomas Carney and Ryan O’Donnell. (Credit: Lancashire Police)
Top row: L to R - Ben Snell and Damien Derbyshire. Bottom row: L to R - Jay Thomas Carney and Ryan O’Donnell. (Credit: Lancashire Police)
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They were used by the defendants to drive to and from the unit.

Derbyshire and Snell were also linked to the drug supply conspiracy by paperwork and payments connected to the unit, as well as mobile phone evidence.

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Defendant Ryan O’Donnell was arrested at an address in Corinthian Avenue, Manchester, after his DNA was recovered from the trigger/guard of a handgun.

Police found £480,000 of cocaine inside a locked safe box as well £353,000 of amphetamine inside a freezer. (Credit: Lancashire Police)Police found £480,000 of cocaine inside a locked safe box as well £353,000 of amphetamine inside a freezer. (Credit: Lancashire Police)
Police found £480,000 of cocaine inside a locked safe box as well £353,000 of amphetamine inside a freezer. (Credit: Lancashire Police)

Cannabis, cocaine and dealer debt lists were also found inside the address.

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Defendant Jay Thomas Carney was arrested the same day at an address in Fairy Lane, Manchester, after his DNA was recovered from the shotgun.

- Derbyshire, 43, of St Ledger Court, Accrington, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs and was jailed for six years.

- Snell, 34, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, possessing prohibited firearms, possessing ammunition without a certificate and possessing a shotgun without certificate. He was jailed for nine years.

Two handguns with rounds of ammunition and a silencer and a pump action shotgun with shotgun shells were also discovered. (Credit: Lancashire Police)Two handguns with rounds of ammunition and a silencer and a pump action shotgun with shotgun shells were also discovered. (Credit: Lancashire Police)
Two handguns with rounds of ammunition and a silencer and a pump action shotgun with shotgun shells were also discovered. (Credit: Lancashire Police)

- Carney, 24, of Indus Place, Salford, pleaded guilty to possession of a shotgun without a certificate and was jailed for two years and six months.

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- O’Donnell, 32, of Corinthian Avenue, Salford, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of a Class A drug, being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug. He was jailed for seven years and 10 months.

DC Paul Hayes said: “This was a complex investigation which has resulted in members of an organised criminal group being given significant custodial sentences.

They thought they could cleverly conceal their criminal activity but through good detective work and targeted policing we have managed to dismantle their web of illegal activity.

DS Steve Munro, of East CID, added: “I would like to praise all the officers who have worked on this case, as well as our colleagues from the Crown Prosecution Service, for their professionalism and dedication in this case.

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“Without that work this significant drugs haul would have been flooded onto the streets of Lancashire and three lethal weapons could have been used to inflict serious or fatal harm.

“I would encourage anybody who has information about illegal activity happening in their area to contact police via 101, confident that we will take the appropriate action.”