Ten members of a drug gang who funded a lavish lifestyle including spa days by flooding the streets with cocaine have been jailed for a combined total of more than 52 years. The group, led by kingpin Paddy Nolan, 29, sourced multiple kilograms of cocaine from outside Lancashire and distributed it through a network of dealers.
Police images show gang members grinning in white bathrobes during a spa trip, while another picture shows mountains of cash bundled on a table. Detectives from Lancashire Police uncovered evidence that Nolan had amassed significant wealth and had access to huge amounts of cash from the drugs conspiracy.
Among Nolan's lieutenants was Ross Boys, 29, who supplied mid-level amounts of cocaine to other dealers across East Lancashire. Darren Mott, 47, acted as the gang's cash courier, making repeated trips between Manchester and Lancashire carrying drug money. On November 14, 2024, police saw Mott carrying a rucksack while meeting Nolan; when Mott's car was stopped, £100,000 in cash was found in the rucksack.
The gang were arrested in December 2024 and January 2025. All admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and were sentenced at Burnley Crown Court last Friday. Nolan was jailed for 11 years and eight months, Boys for seven years and six months, and Mott for six years and nine months.
Other sentences included Matthew Waterworth, 34, five years; Regan Burnie, 34, four years and 11 months; Aaron Cormack, 31, three years and nine months; Luke Barritt, 37, three years and eight months; Leon Canning, 27, and Jacob Dewhurst, 29, both three years and two months; and Jamie Howes, 29, three years and one month.
Chief Insp Sarah Denson said: 'This gang made significant amounts of money peddling drugs on our streets but despite their best efforts to cover their tracks and to evade capture are now behind bars. We will continue to tackle those who bring harm to our communities by dealing in illegal drugs by dismantling these gangs and putting those involved before the courts.'
