Skelmersdale family jailed over multimillion-pound drugs trade

Jonny Humphries - BBC News
·2 min read

A family who admitted "trading in Class A drugs worth millions of pounds" have been jailed.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said Ian Shacklady, 67, his partner Gillian Melville, 66, and her son Alan Causer, 45, ran their operation from their homes in Skelmersdale, Lancashire.

It said seized ledgers showed they supplied at least 790lb (360kg) of cocaine and 55lb (25kg) of heroin.

There were also entries showing the movement of more than £1.4m in cash.

An NCA representative said the agency had worked with Merseyside Police to uncover the family's operations.

They said Shacklady and Causer had ferried large quantities of cocaine, heroin and cannabis around the country using a van fitted with a hidden compartment, which was controlled by hydraulics and activated by a switch in the cup holder.

The vehicle was seized during a raid at an address in Marchbank Road, Skelmersdale, on 15 September 2021, after it was recorded making more than 40 trips across the UK.

Officers also found Shacklady and Melville counting cash in a bedroom, alongside bags containing more than £254,000 and a number of elastic bands.

A search of the rest of the property revealed almost £147,000 more in cash, cannabis with a street value of £16,000, and two ledgers which documented the extent of their activities.

Analysis of the family's phones showed their associate John Germaine, 35, from Burscough, had been involved in the delivery of 26lb (12kg) of class A drugs, while Daniel Heeley, 32, from Heysham, was also found to have helped in moving large quantities to Morecambe in Lancashire and Barnard Castle in County Durham.

During a hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday:

  • Shacklady admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property and was jailed for 10 years and six months

  • Causer and Germaine admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and possession of criminal property and were jailed for 18 years and 11 years and six months respectively

  • Healey, who previously admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin in February, was sentenced to 15 years and three months in prison

  • Melville pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property and received a 23-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months

Speaking after sentencing, the NCA's regional investigations chief Richard Harrison the family and their associates were "a significant crime group" who according to their own records had been "trading in Class A drugs worth millions of pounds".

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