Overview
- The ten defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced at Burnley Crown Court on Friday, May 22, to more than 52 years in prison combined, with leader Paddy Nolan jailed for 11 years and eight months.
- Police say the investigation was triggered when a cash courier, Darren Mott, was stopped on 14 November 2024 and officers found £100,000 in his rucksack after a meeting with Nolan.
- Lancashire Police describe the group as a hierarchical wholesale cocaine network that sourced multi-kilo consignments from outside the county and used mid-level marketeers to break down and distribute the drug.
- Investigators credited the East Targeted Crime Unit’s Operation Warrior with co-ordinated arrests in December 2024 and January 2025 and publicly released spa-day images to show how the gang spent its proceeds.
- Police said dismantling the ring removes a major local supply chain and could lead to further work on recovering criminal assets while the force continues to pursue serious organised crime in the area.