Men jailed following record breaking drugs bust as police discover heroin stashed in bags of rice

In 2020, Greater Manchester Police recovered one tonne of class A and B drugs – heroin and ketamine, hidden in bags of rice. With an estimated street sale value of around £300 million, it’s believed to be the biggest seizure of drugs in UK mainland history.

Following a covert operation by GMP specialist detectives in our Serious Organised Crime Group, police intercepted a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) at Keele Service Station – packed full of heroin and ketamine.

On Thursday 7 December 2023, Andrew Tait (30/09/1981) of Tram Street, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. Craig Parr (28/06/81) of Barnham Close, Golborne, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs.

Today (Friday 5 April 2024) they have been sentenced to a collective 34 years.

Stephen King (21/05/1977), who was the catalyst for this investigation, passed away in January 2021, but his significant role in the conspiracy has been referenced throughout the trial.

In 2019, King was under surveillance, and it soon became clear that he was involved in the drugs trade and associated criminality, but the main questions were - to what extent? And, who else was involved? Detectives launched Operation Somerled to establish this and get as far up the tree as they could, aiming to dismantle the entire organisation from top down.

Whilst detectives pieced together the case, it became clear that something big was on the horizon, they just had to wait for the gang to slip up.

On Sunday 19 January 2020, King, who was a lorry driver by trade, hired an HGV. For weeks it sat at an industrial site close to his home address, until Wednesday 29 January, King was on the move.

Whilst under surveillance, King attended Thurrock Services in Essex where he met his co-defendants. They enjoyed a beer, then stayed two nights in a hotel before making the journey to the transport depot in Dagenham to collect, what police would soon discover, their multi-million-pound consignment.

On the way back to Manchester, police intercepted Stephen King at Keele Services where he’d stopped with the drugs to take a break. He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and it was during the search of the HGV that police located ten pallets stacked with 25kg bags of ‘rice’. Six pallets of rice concealing heroin and an encrypted mobile phone were seized from the cab.

Later that day, police were at a farm in Preston associated to the gang conducting further searches. As they were doing so, Tait arrived, driving into the yard and unknowingly sealing his fate. He was swiftly arrested, and another encrypted mobile phone was seized.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony Norman from GMP Serious Organised Crime Group said: “This investigation spanned over three months where we had specialist detectives working around the clock, observing the men go about their daily businesses, often doing very mundane tasks. We knew they were involved in criminality, and that something significant was being planned the day King hired the HGV, but it was a case of being patient and vigilant to make sure we didn’t miss anything.

“This discovery is the UK’s largest mainland drugs seizure, and there’s no denying the devastation it would have had on our communities had this product made its way to Manchester. This proactive investigation meant we were able to stop that and prevent future harm.

“I’m grateful to the Criminal Prosecution Service and Counsel whose involvement in this complex case was crucial. They worked closely with us throughout the investigation, over four years, to piece together the evidence which ultimately led to the convictions of these men.”