Drug-dealing dad from Burnley jailed for ten years

A man from Burnley has been sent to prison for ten years for drug dealing.

On 14th August 2024 police received a call from a concerned resident who had seen two men at the rear yard of a property in Brunshaw Road, Burnley, with a machete and a moped.

When officers searched the property for the two men, they found three kilos of white powder in a rucksack located in the loft. That transpired to be cocaine valued at £90,000.

Mobile phone enquiries led to the arrest of David and William Berry on 28th November 2024. David was arrested and a number of weapons, mobile phones and a large block of cocaine were recovered. A set of keys for his breaker’s unit in Pentridge Mill, Burnley, were also recovered from him.

A search of the roof over the office space located a suitcase which contained approximately £250,000 in cash in plastic bags, bags and large tins. One of the tins had the name ‘Will’ written on it.

A further search of the unit located a hydraulic press, plates and moulds with white powder on them. A fridge was found to contain six large bags of cocaine and amphetamine valued at £14,000, a knife, scales and packaging. Further searches revealed large amounts of suspected cutting agent.

When William was arrested he was found with cannabis, mobile phones and £10,000 in cash.

An examination of the phones showed William was heavily involved in drug-dealing and had his own Telegram channel offering large amounts of cannabis on a regular basis.

David Berry, 66, of Fir Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply amphetamine and money laundering and was sentenced to ten years in jail at Preston Crown Court.

William Berry, 23, of Belmont Grove, Burnley, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis and money laundering. He was sentenced to 15 months custody, suspended for two years.

DS Stu Peall, from the East Exploitation Team, said: “David Berry was a significant player in the sale of illegal drugs.

“Hopefully the public will be reassured by the sentence handed down to David, which reflects the seriousness of his offending.

“If you are aware of criminal activity in your area report it to us, confident that we will take the appropriate action.”

The action was taken as part of Operation Warrior, which is our response to tackling serious and organised crime in Lancashire and delivering on Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw's Fighting Crime Plan priority of disrupting and dismantling organised crime.

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner said: "Successful outcomes like this demonstrate the tireless work being done to protect the public and show that Lancashire is taking a relentless approach to tackling organised crime.

"Strong deterrents and proactive enforcement, driven by local intelligence, are essential. Equally important is early intervention to stop crime before it escalates and to break the cycle of reoffending.

"I remain fully committed to supporting the Chief Constable, ensuring our officers and staff have the resources they need to dismantle criminal gangs, drive offenders out of our communities, and deliver justice."