Organised crime group members jailed after flooding streets with cocaine worth millions
Members of an organised crime group have been jailed for a total of nearly 40 years for orchestrating a major drug trafficking operation that flooded North Devon[1] with around GBP4 million of cocaine.
The criminal network, with members in North Devon, West Yorkshire and Merseyside, used couriers to travel to Liverpool who would collect the cocaine and transport it back to Barnstaple[2] for distribution to street-sellers. Advertisement Advertisement
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In an investigation named Operation Haku, Devon and Cornwall Police said it estimated that the group moved around GBP4 million of drugs to the South West during 17 trips made between July and December 2024.
The operation was led by ringleaders Christopher Harper, 46 from Yorkshire and Stephen Reid, 52, from Liverpool.
Harper directed Ilfracombe[3]-based courier Neil Warren, 49, providing him with postcodes and locations in Merseyside to collect drugs from. Advertisement
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Reid and Warren were also in direct contact and, on each trip to Liverpool, both Harper and Warren would meet with Reid for a short period of time.
Six people in organised crime group jailed for a total of nearly 40 years for orchestrating a major drug trafficking operation -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
(Devon and Cornwall Police)Devon and Cornwall Police said Harper was also in contact with their regional manager Paige Kightley, 31, from Bideford[4], during trips to Liverpool.
Kightley was the local link to Barnstaple based-supplier, Karl Aldridge, 38, who received the cocaine and distributed it on the streets of North Devon.
The Liverpool trips often coincided with bulk messages sent from phones used by Aldridge which advertised cocaine for sale in the Barnstaple area.
The money trail
The police said that financial investigations showed a money trail from Aldridge to Kightley and onto Harper to pay for further drug supplies.
Harper's accounts received 'unexplained' bank transfers from other accounts in North Devon, the force continued. Advertisement Advertisement
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In addition to obtaining drugs from Harper's gang via Kightley, the force said street-seller Aldridge had also received cocaine from a Manchester-based supplier and courier Ezra Walker, 40, from Manchester.
On November 5, 2024, Devon and Cornwall Police stopped Walker on the A361 near Barnstaple while he was travelling from Manchester.
Walker failed a drugs test and officers found a package containing white powder in his vehicle. He was arrested and taken into custody.
The police searched Walker's vehicle where they found 122g of cocaine with a street value of around GBP10,000.
Officers searched Aldridge's home on the same day, finding a quantity of cocaine along with re-sealable bags and tubes, scales with cocaine traces, dealers' lists and GBP2,000 in cash.
He was arrested for drug offences. Advertisement Advertisement
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On December 10, 2024, Harper was working in Penrith in Cumbria but went to the area of Liverpool where Reid lived later that evening, sending a text confirming his arrival, before returning a short time later.
The next day (December 11) Harper sent a text to Warren that read 'ring me asap pal, it's time to get busy'.
Devon and Cornwall Police said Warren remained in Liverpool for fifteen minutes before contacting Harper who directed Warren to a Premier Inn in Penrith. Warren then drove from Liverpool to Penrith, said police.
Harper and Warren at a Premier Inn in Penrith -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
CCTV showed Harper, who was confirmed as a guest at the Premier Inn, leaving the hotel and getting in a vehicle in the car park.
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Warren was then seen carrying a bag and getting into Harper's van before both men went back into the hotel, Harper now carrying the bag.
On December 12, Harper and Warren left the hotel, Warren now carrying the bag. Warren then drove to Liverpool and contacted Reid via Whatsapp along the way.
Warren and Harper exchanged calls, inferring that Harper was in contact with the person that Warren was due to meet in Liverpool.
Devon and Cornwall Police added Warren made a lengthy call to Harper before heading home, where he was stopped by police while exiting the M5[5] in Devon.
Police said that, during his arrest, Warren indicated there was an item in the back of the car that did not belong to him. Advertisement
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Devon and Cornwall police took Warren and the vehicle to Exeter[6] Police station for a search where cash and an estimated quarter of a million pounds worth of cocaine were found.
A bag identical to the one that was being carried when he left the hotel was seized from Warren and found to contain 3kg of Class A drugs, said police.
Harper had made multiple calls to Warren's phone and other parties in the Barnstaple area while Warren was in custody.
Police added he even made calls to hospitals asking if Warren had been admitted and continued to try to monitor his court hearings and subsequent sentencing in the media over the coming months.
Neil Warren being arrested exiting the M5 in Devon -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
Detectives from the Devon and Cornwall Police Serious and Organised Crime Investigation Team carried out simultaneous raids on addresses in Peterborough, Liverpool and Barnstaple on April 16, 2025.
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Harper was arrested in Peterborough found in possession of a mobile phone that had been used to organise the supply of cocaine from Liverpool to Devon.
Reid was arrested in Liverpool and found in possession of three mobile phones used to arrange the supply operation between Liverpool and Devon.
Kightley was arrested at home in Northam[7], Barnstaple, where drug paraphernalia was found. She claimed did not deal drugs, but acted as a courier between others.
The sentences
All six were sentenced at Exeter Crown Court after entering guilty pleas.
Aldridge, of Corporation Terrace, Barnstaple, was sentenced in January 2025 to five years and four months for being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs. Advertisement
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Walker was sentenced in January 2025 to five years and four months for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Warren, of High Street, Ilfracombe, was sentenced in March 2025 to four years for being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs.
Harper, of Goole, Reid and Kightley, from Lace Avenue, Bideford, were sentenced on Friday, March 13, 2026 to 10 years five months, seven years five months, and five years seven months respectively for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Items seized during major drug trafficking operation -Credit:Devon and Cornwall Police
What Devon and Cornwall Police have to say
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Daniel Bickford of the Serious & Organised Crime Investigation Team, said: "Illegal drugs have a devastating impact, not just on those who use them, but on families, businesses, and the wider community.
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"This group exploited vulnerable people and brought fear and misery to our communities. Today's sentences send a clear message that we will not tolerate organised crime in our communities and will commit resources to relentlessly pursue those responsible.
"This result was only possible thanks to the determination of our officers and the invaluable support of our partners and local residents. By working together, we have made North Devon a safer place for everyone and a more hostile place for criminal gangs to operate in.
"The investigation uncovered significant quantities of Class A drugs, as well as criminal proceeds of crime, all of which have now been removed from circulation.
The police and partners remain committed to tackling drug supply and associated crime and urge anyone with information about drug activity to contact them in confidence."
Devon & Cornwall Police North Devon LPA Chief Inspector, Graham Thomas said: "I welcome the sentencing of three key people who were involved in the trafficking of drugs between Merseyside and North Devon.
"The use of cocaine is illegal and comes at a significant cost to users, suppliers and the community at large.
People don't always see the misery and crime associated with the supply of drugs, but our communities feel it, which is why I and my colleagues are determined to do all we can to stop and disrupt these dangerous networks.
"I hope the sentences act as a deterrent to anyone involved in the supply of drugs and invite anyone with information about other dealers or networks to contact the police directly or through Crimestoppers"
References
- ^ North Devon (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ Barnstaple (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ Ilfracombe (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ Bideford (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ the M5 (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ Northam (www.devonlive.com)