“For goats not drugs” – six sentenced to over 60 years in prison for conspiracy to import drugs totalling over £1m

Six people including a woman from Oldham have been sentenced for their role in a conspiracy to import class A and class B drugs into the UK.

During the trial at Bolton Crown Court yesterday (Wednesday), the jury heard that two of the defendants claimed that money transfers between themselves and a man in Jamaica previously deported from the UK were “for the purchasing of goats, not drugs”. 

This sentencing is the conclusion of Operation Image – a GMP investigation lasting over two years which began in March 2024 when UK Border Force seized 8 kilos of high purity cocaine off a flight from Jamaica which was destined for residential addresses across Greater Manchester.  

Following arrests made in connection with the importation in May 2025, further arrests were made in December that year after search warrants were executed at addresses in Gorton, Didsbury and Stockport.  

At an address in Gorton police seized a further 4 kilos of cocaine, thousands of MDMA and 2CB tablets, a kilo of cannabis and £100,000 in cash. The total street value of the drugs seized as part of the investigation was over £1 million.  

The investigation showed contact between several of the defendants and a man in Jamaica previously deported from the UK. The defendants’ bank records showed money sent to this man which two of the defendants claimed were for the purchasing of goats, not drugs. 

Darren Bailey (47) of Lisburne Lane, Offerton, Stockport was found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to produce class B drugs, and conspiracy to supply class B drugs, and was sentenced to 19 years.  

Nathan Charles (37) of Highfield Range, Gorton was found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to produce class B drugs, and conspiracy to supply class B drugs, and was sentenced to 17 years.  

Adrian Stephenson (36) of Peers Street, Bury was found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs and sentenced to 9.5 years.   

Panashe Nyamariwata (29) of Adelphi Road, Salford was found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs and was sentenced to 6 years.  

Charlene Bellamy (43) of Fairway Road, Oldham was found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs sentenced to 5 years. 

Kamica Morris (31) Hanworth Close, Manchester was found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs and was sentenced to 4 years. 

Hannah Conlon (34) Cherry Avenue, Bury was found guilty of conspiracy to import class B drugs during the same trial after over three kilos of cannabis was seized from America to be delivered to her home address between January and March 2024. She will be sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday, April 20, 2026. 

Detective Constable Ryan O’Hanlon from Greater Manchester Police said “This investigation has taken drugs off the street worth over a million pounds. Drugs ruin lives and the crimes that are committed to fund habits that dealer’s profit from, blight our communities. 

“It shows the lengths that this group went to for their own greed; bringing drugs into the UK from abroad to maximise their profits with no thought for the misery that their actions cause. 

“Officers have worked tirelessly for over two years to ensure that these offenders were brought to justice – executing several warrants and gathering countless pieces of evidence which led to the jury seeing through their lies and finding all guilty. 

“Today’s sentences reflect the serious nature of the crimes they committed, and I am thankful they are now behind bars, and away from the communities that officers work tirelessly to protect.”