He looked like a normal businessman running Greater Manchester warehouse... it was all a lie

A drugs boss who set up a 'front' company claiming to handle returns for Argos and Amazon was actually trying to smuggle cocaine worth £140 million into the UK.

Darryn Schofield, 45, was at the head of an organised crime-group (OCG) and planned to import 1.3 tonnes of the drug into the country.

Along with underlings Stephen Martland, 70, and Paul Mockett, 50, he set up the fake company and rented an industrial unit at the Bradley Hall Trading Estate in Standish, Wigan.

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In an e-mail to the company renting out the unit, the group said it would 'be used for the storage of house clearance items plus pallets of returned goods from Amazon, Argos and other relevant retailers that need to sell their returns.'

"The company was completely fake and had no ties to any legitimate retailers," the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Mockett also registered a limited company called BH Supplies Limited, which was used to purchase chemicals for the adulteration of cocaine.

The group's plans began to unravel when a shipping container with the drugs in was stopped at the Port of Felixstowe in August 2022. The cocaine was hidden in 20kg sacks and had a cover load of flour.

The NCA began a painstaking investigation to pinpoint who was behind it. They eventually identified and arrested the trio. When ringleader Schofield, of School Drive, Halewood, near Liverpool, was arrested officers discovered he controlled another property in Melrose Road, Waterloo, Liverpool.

"The property was used to adulterate and mix drugs and officers discovered large amounts of equipment including large cookers, moulds, stamps, a press and chemicals," the NCA said.

Schofield admitted importing the 1.3 tonnes of cocaine and was yesterday (Thursday, December 12) sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court. He was jailed for 20 years. Mockett, of Stump Lane, Chorley, admitted the same count and was jailed for 13 years and six months.

Martland was convicted at trial of the same offence and was sentenced to 21 years. Five other members of the OCG were also sentenced.

Jon Sayers, NCA branch commander, said: “The National Crime Agency works at home and abroad to protect the public from the threat of class A drugs. Our partners in Border Force did a superb job to stop this huge haul of cocaine which would have been sold around the north west of England and further afield, and without doubt it would have led to more crimes being committed and more devastation in our communities.

“Illegal drugs supply has horrific consequences as we have tragically seen in recent years with entirely innocent members of the public hurt and killed in the crossfire of feuding gangs. We will continue to do everything we can with policing partners and Border Force to prevent illegal drugs supply.”

Also sentenced today:

Neil Maguire, 45, of Georgia Close, Bootle, Liverpool, admitted conspiring to supply cocaine for the OCG (not the 1.3 tonnes). He was involved in the supply of multi-kilo amounts of cocaine between 2020 and 2023 and was sentenced to 11 years and four months.

Paul O’Shea, 46, of Edge Lane, Crosby, Liverpool, also admitted the same 2023 charge. He was involved in a number of handovers of cocaine and provided storage for the group. He was jailed for six years.

Darren Wetton, 54, of Ashby Street, Chorley, Lancashire, was convicted at trial of supplying cannabis between March and December 2022. He was sentenced to 12 months suspended for 18 months.

David Jones, 56, of Eton Street, Walton, Liverpool, was directed by Schofield. He was arrested in possession of just under 1kg of tetramisole, an adulterant for cocaine, and admitted being concerned in the supply of drugs. He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years.