Overview
- Two men were sentenced in May 2026 at Grimsby Crown Court after pleading guilty to drug offences, with Owen Barker jailed for three years and nine months and Jack Baker sent to a Young Offender Institution for three years.
- Prosecutors said the organised group ran a round-the-clock phone line that blasted about 900 bulk texts a day to 150–300 users and coordinated deliveries across Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Immingham, Barton and Marshchapel.
- Hospital overdoses confirmed at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital on January 24 triggered the inquiry that led to Barker’s arrest the next day and Baker’s arrest on February 26 in Hull.
- Forensic testing showed some seized heroin was contaminated with Etonitazene, a synthetic opioid estimated to be 1,000 to 1,500 times stronger than morphine and used as a bulking agent.
- Police and the coroner are investigating 14 overdoses, including several deaths, and are awaiting toxicology reports to establish whether the contaminated batch caused the fatalities.