For Saskia Steward, a public marriage proposal from her fiancé was a moment of pure joy, captured on video in a trendy restaurant. Weeks later, the heavily pregnant 26-year-old and her partner, Jack Donegan, were in police cells, arrested for their roles in a multi-million pound drugs conspiracy.
A Public Proposal and a Private Crime
In October last year, 29-year-old Jack Donegan went down on one knee in a restaurant, presenting Steward with a diamond ring. Fellow diners applauded as she tearfully accepted. The moment was shared on Facebook, where Steward wrote: "Yes, yes, a million times yes!" She was just four days from giving birth to their daughter.
Soon after, she announced the baby's birth with a gushing tribute to Donegan, calling him her "rock". Unbeknown to the seemingly respectable couple, who were joint directors of a recruitment company, detectives were already closing in on their £450,000 home in a quiet cul-de-sac in Warrington, Cheshire.
The Vast Drug Trafficking Network
Investigations revealed Donegan was the boss of a significant organised crime group. He directed the distribution of cocaine and ketamine across the UK through a trusted team of couriers and associates. The gang's reach extended from the North West to customers in Derby, London, and Great Yarmouth.
Detectives from the North West Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU), running Operation Acropolis, uncovered text messages where Donegan bragged about making £15,000 a month. In one, referring to a customer, he told Steward: "This is going to be great for us!"
A spreadsheet ledger on his phone revealed the staggering scale: he had supplied more than 800 kilograms of Class A drugs, generating profits exceeding £26 million.
The Raids and Sentences
In January this year, officers raided 12 properties across Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, and North Wales. Donegan and Steward were arrested, alongside several associates.
At Preston Crown Court, Jack Donegan admitted conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and was jailed for 15 years. Saskia Steward, who had recently given birth, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, for participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
Seven other men were jailed for a total of 54 years. They included the gang's 'money man', Stephen Joel-Craven, 42, of Skelmersdale, jailed for eight years and eight months after police found £300,000 at his home.
The operation began to unravel when a courier was detained at Knutsford Services on the M6 with 12kg of cocaine, leading detectives to Donegan. Detective Chief Inspector Kelly Wild of the NWROCU said the investigation had "dismantled one of the most significant organised crime groups operating in the North West and beyond", sending a clear message that such networks would be "relentlessly pursued".
