Four convicted of crack cocaine and heroin supply offences

Four people who were involved in a drugs line between Manchester and Somerset have been convicted.

Officers seized heroin and cocaine from a hotel room in Bridgwater in February as part of the investigation.

Three men and a teenager from Greater Manchester will be sentenced later this year.

On Thursday 22 February, we received information that Curtis Coburn, who was wanted from the Greater Manchester area, was staying at a hotel in Bridgwater.

Officers attended the room to arrest Coburn, who initially claimed he was staying in the room alone and provided a false name.

A search of the hotel found crack cocaine and heroin, both with an estimated street value of almost £1,200.

Zack Wildman was understood to have been staying with Coburn in that same room but was not present at the time of the arrest and therefore further enquiries were carried out to locate him.

The next day, officers gained entry to a property in Riversmead Walk where he was believed to be, and found him in the company of Karl Richardson and a 17-year-old boy who cannot be identified because he is not an adult.

A number of mobile phones found at the property, including one directly being used in the drugs line. A review of that device found sufficient evidence that all four people were concerned in the supply of illegal drugs.

The following four people were all charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin):

• Coburn, 25 of Urmston: also charged with possession of a controlled class B drug (cannabis).
• Richardson, 36 of Timperley.
• Wildman, 27 of Partington.
• And a 17-year-old boy: also charged with possession of a class A drug (heroin) with intent to supply.

Richardson, Wildman and the teenager all pleaded guilty but Coburn was convicted by majority verdict after trial on Friday 16 August.

The three men were remanded ahead of being sentenced which will be held at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday 7 November. The juvenile was released on bail.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Hassell said: “Our commitment to disrupting county drug lines and bringing perpetrators to justice will never cease.

“We acted swiftly upon receiving information about Curtis Coburn’s whereabouts and the subsequent enquiries that followed has enabled us to successfully achieve convictions against four individuals who sought to profit from the misery drugs cause.”