Lancashire man jailed after stashing vast haul of drugs in his homes | Preston Crown Court
In the latest from Preston Crown Court, a man was jailed after stashing vast amounts of drugs , claiming he was under pressure from gang bosses.
Violent threats against his children and partner forced a 37-year-old man to store a syndicate's vast stash of drugs in his house, a court heard.
Paul Metcalfe claimed gang bosses put pressure on him to look after almost £150,000 of heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and cannabis because he owed them money. But the 37-year-old was busted twice by police in the space of 14 months at two different addresses in Nelson.
He pleaded guilty to five charges of possession with intent to supply Class A and Class B drugs and was jailed for more than four years at Preston Crown Court.
A judge heard officers raided Metcalfe’s home in Barker House Road, Nelson in August 2024 and during a search they found a haul of drugs in a back bedroom. The stash included 138 grams of heroin, 17.4 grams of crack and one kilo of cannabis with a total street value of around £30,000. Mercalfe was arrested, questioned and released on bail under investigation.
Then, in October 2025, police raided his new home address in Pont Street, Nelson and found an even bigger drugs haul. This time he was looking after just under half a kilo of heroin and 1.25 kilos of cocaine together worth £116,640 on the street.
When arrested on both occasions he gave “no comment” answers to all questions. But a day after his second arrest he asked to be reinterviewed and claimed the drugs belonged to him and he was supplying them to others.
Later he went on to confess that he was in debt to some people and had been forced to hold the drugs for them. His children were being threatened, he was concerned for the safety of them and his partner and also scared for his own life.
Police intelligence showed that while Metcalfe could have worked at times as a runner, overall he was just storing the drugs rather than dealing it himself. Officers said he and his family were not living a lavish lifestyle and he was clearly not benefitting financially from the drugs.
The prosecution claimed Metcalfe’s role in the organisation was a significant one because he knew the value of the drugs he was keeping and the scale of the operation.
Barrister Lawrence Rainford, for the prosecution, said Metcalfe, of Hibson Road, Nelson, had been on bail for the first offence when he committed the second one. There had also been a knife seized at the second property.
Mr Rainford added that Metcalfe’s only previous conviction from when he had been a juvenile had been for possession of a firearm which he claimed he had been pressured into looking after for others.
Lauren Smith, defending, said there seemed to be a pattern of her client being “susceptible” to pressure from others. “Mr Metcalfe was the subject of threats to his partner and also his children. His mind was dominated by that when he committed the offences.”
She said he had not used that as an answer to questions by police after the first raid, but it was not unusual for people in Metcalfe’s position “to be reluctant to speak for fear of repercussions”.
“The police are in possession of intelligence in 2025 Mr Metcalfe was being physically abused by an individual and was being forced to store drugs at his place.”
She argued that Metcalfe’s role had not been a significant one and was only a lesser one. He had been pressured and coerced to look after the drugs.
Recorder Geoffrey Lowe said duress had played a part in both offences. But he told Metcalfe: “It is a sophisticated criminal organisation. The criminals involved make significant amounts of money the higher up they go.
“You know what the effect (of drugs) is on people. Heroin causes ill health, injury and death. It places people in debt such as you. You were exploited by them and became involved in storage because you owed money. They were able to pressurise you to do what you did. It’s a ruthless business.”
The judge said he felt Metcalfe’s role had been a lesser one despite knowing the value of the merchandise he was holding. He believed he could not have done anything about it “because they had control over you”.
He added that Metcalfe hadn’t chosen to tell the police at the outset because he feared the people who controlled him more than he feared the police.
“You may have thought that you were just looking after this stuff, but if it wasn’t for people like you drug dealers would have to take a risk themselves or find a different way of storing drugs.
He sentenced Metcalfe to four years and four months in prison and ordered the £146,640 of drugs seized to be destroyed.