Donna Glynn, 63, has been handed a suspended prison sentence after a jury convicted her of being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine. Police found Class A drugs and nearly £10,000 in cash at her housing association home in Wigan.
Prosecutors said the property had been used for a "lucrative" drug-dealing enterprise, but Glynn insisted the drugs were linked to her former partner and denied any involvement.
Drugs and cash discovered
Officers acting on a tip-off discovered cocaine hidden in a Horlicks tub in a kitchen cupboard, heroin stored in containers in a garden shed and £9,645 in cash concealed in a bookcase. Some of the cocaine was found to be 81 per cent pure, while other quantities had been cut with creatine powder.
Manchester Crown Court heard that officers descended on Glynn's Collett Close home, in the Scholes area of the borough, in April 2021 following intelligence that drugs were being distributed from the address. She had resided there for 27 years.
Court details
Prosecution barrister Craig McGregor said Glynn 'used her housing association home for a lucrative Class A drug dealing operation'. In the kitchen, police recovered 193g of cocaine stored in bags inside a Horlicks tub. Approximately 158g of the cocaine was of 81pc purity, with the remainder around 12pc, having been diluted with creatine powder. Glynn's fingerprints were identified on the bags.
Containers found in the garden shed held 60g of heroin, with her fingerprints present on the bags. The heroin carried an estimated street value of £5,920, while the cocaine was estimated to be worth £15,800 and £1,400 in its high-purity and cut forms respectively.
Sentence
Defence barrister Tomas Quinn argued that Glynn was 'on the cusp' between a lesser and significant role, but 'must have had some awareness and understanding'. She was reported to have 'serious' medical conditions and mobility difficulties, and provides support to her 34-year-old son who lives independently but has 'some mental health issues'.
Imposing a three-year sentence, suspended for two years, Judge Paul Mason acknowledged that she had not reoffended since 2021 and posed a 'low risk' of reoffending, with a 'realistic' prospect of rehabilitation. He told her: "You have physical ailments and your son and bereaved mother are dependent on you."
Deemed 'unsuitable' for unpaid work, Glynn was instructed to pay a victim surcharge alongside a £500 fine to be settled by 31 May 2027, which will be deducted from her Universal Credit payments.
