Devon & Cornwall Police News site

Six people have now been sentenced to a total of nearly 40 years in prison for flooding North Devon with Class A drugs worth millions of pounds.

The investigation named Operation Haku involved an organised crime group with members in North Devon, West Yorkshire and Merseyside.

The gang utilised couriers who travelled to Liverpool to pick up cocaine and transported it to Devon where it would be distributed to street sellers for onward sale.

A total of 17 journeys were identified and it is estimated drugs worth as much as £4million had been transported to the South West.

Among those arrested was a Devon-based courier who was caught while returning from Liverpool and found in possession of 3kg of Class A drugs with a street value of £240,000.

The defendants

• Organiser - Christopher Harper, 46, of Goole, Yorkshire.
• Organiser - Stephen Reid, 52, from Liverpool.
• North Devon regional manager - Paige Kightley, 31, from Lacey Avenue, Bideford.
• North Devon courier - Neil Warren, 49, from High Street, Ilfracombe.
• North Devon street supplier - Karl Aldridge, 38, from Corporation Terrace, Barnstaple.
• Manchester supplier/courier - Ezra Walker, 40, from Manchester.

 

The operation

Between July 2024 and December 2024, members of organised crime groups based in North Devon and Merseyside conspired together to traffic large quantities of cocaine into Devon, to be distributed and sold on the streets of Barnstaple and surrounding areas.

Drugs were collected from Liverpool on 17 occasions by Harper and 15 by Warren.

Arrangements were made by Harper and Reid using mobile phones. Harper would then contact and direct Warren to the Liverpool area, providing him with postcodes and locations on Merseyside.

Reid and Warren were also in direct contact, and both Harper and Warren met with Reid on each date visiting Liverpool, spending a short amount of time in the area.

Harper was also in heavy contact with Barnstaple-based Kightley on the dates of the trips.

Kightley was in contact with Warren and local drug suppliers such as Aldridge, who would receive the drugs to distribute and sell in North Devon.

The trips often coincided with bulk messages sent from phones used by Aldridge advertising cocaine for sale in the Barnstaple area.

Financial investigation showed money transferred from Aldridge to Kightley and onto Harper, to pay for further supplies.

Harper’s accounts received unexplained bank transfers from other accounts in North Devon.

In addition to obtaining drugs from Harper’s gang via Kightley, Aldridge also received cocaine from Manchester-based Walker.

Arrests

Walker and Aldridge

5 November 2024

Walker travelled from Manchester to Devon and was stopped by police officers on the A361 towards Barnstaple.

Within the vehicle officers found a package containing white powder. Walker also failed a drugs test and was arrested and taken into custody.

Following the arrest of Walker, officers attended Aldridge’s home and executed a search before arresting him for drug offences.

Searches were carried out and within Walker’s vehicle officers found 122g of cocaine with a street value of around £10,000.

In Aldridge’s home, a quantity of cocaine was located along with re-sealable bags and tubs, scales with cocaine traces, dealers’ lists and £2,000 in cash.

Both were charged, remanded and entered guilty pleas at court.

Warren

10 December 2024

Harper was working in Penrith, Cumbria, but in the evening went to the area of Liverpool Reid resided, texting him confirming his arrival, before returning a short time later.

11 December 2024

Harper sent a text to Warren stating ‘ring me asap pal, it’s time to get busy’.

Later that afternoon Warren drove to Liverpool from Barnstaple after being provided with a postcode by Harper.

Warren remained in Liverpool for 15 minutes before contacting Harper who directed Warren to a Premier Inn in Penrith.

Warren then drove from Liverpool to Penrith.

Harper was confirmed as a guest at the Premier Inn on 11 December. CCTV showed him exiting the hotel and entering a vehicle in the car park.

Warren then could be seen carrying a bag and getting into Harper’s van. Harper and Warren then entered the hotel together with Harper carrying the bag. An identical bag was seized from Warren the next day and found to contain 3kg of Class A drugs.

12 December 2024

Harper and Warren exited the Premier Inn with Warren carrying the bag. Warren then drove to Liverpool, with WhatsApp contact with Reid taking place along the way.

Warren and Harper exchanged a flurry of calls inferring Harper was in contact with the person Warren was due to meet. Warren made a lengthy call to Harper before heading home. He was stopped by officers exiting the M5 in Devon.

On arrest Warren indicated there was an item in the back of the car that did not belong to him. The vehicle and Warren were taken to Exeter Police Station for a search.

Within the car was cash and various parcels of cocaine with an estimated street value of nearly a quarter of a million pounds.

While Warren was in custody, Harper made multiple calls to Warren’s phone and other parties in the Barnstaple area trying to locate his courier.

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.

Arrest of the organisers

On 16 April 2025 detectives from the Devon & Cornwall Police Serious & Organised Crime Investigation Team raided addresses in the Peterborough, Liverpool and Barnstaple areas.

Harper was located and arrested in Peterborough and found in possession of the phone used to arrange the supply of cocaine from Liverpool to Devon.

Reid was located and arrested in Liverpool and found to be in the possession of three phones used to arrange the supply of cocaine from Liverpool to Devon.

Kightley was arrested at her home in Northam, Barnstaple, and found to be in possession of drug paraphernalia. She claimed not to deal drugs but to merely pass them from one person to another.

The sentences

All six defendants entered guilty pleas and have now been sentenced at Exeter Crown Court.

Aldridge was sentenced in January 2025 to five years and four months for being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs.

Walker was sentenced in January 2025 to five years and four months for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Warren was sentenced in March 2025 to four years for being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs.

Harper, Reid and Kightley were sentenced on Friday 13 March 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.

Officer comments

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.

“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 today’s 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”

To report a crime or if you have information about crime, use the online reporting tool on the Devon & Cornwall Police website, or call 101. If a crime is taking place, call 999.

Crime can also be reported completely anonymously. Visit the Crimestoppers website or call 0800 555 111 to report a crime with 100% anonymity.