Blackburn street dealers jailed over cocaine supply

Jack Donnelly, 22, tried to dispose of several grams of the drug by throwing the white powder out of a bedroom window, while Damion Hart, 24, was found to have messages on his phone evident of “significant” drug supply.

The pair appeared at Preston Crown Court on Wednesday charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs and possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

The matters for both defendants date back to incidents which took place between March and May 2020.

Donnelly was also jailed for a separate incident which happened in November 2021, while he was under investigation for the joint offences.

Hannah Forsyth, prosecuting, told the court how on March 2, police were called to a disturbance in the High Bank area of Blackburn and spotted Donnelly in Roe Lee Park riding a moped.

Ms Forsyth said: “Officers asked him to stop but he mounted the kerb and one of the officers managed to push Donnelly from the bike and he was detained and searched.”

Police found the then 20-year-old in possession of 17 snap bags of white powder and £127 in cash as well as a mobile phone, with Donnelly admitting to officers that the powder was cocaine.

Ms Forsyth said the bags were analysed and were found to contain 3.46g of cocaine of 79 per cent purity, as well as 16 street deals of 0.4g, equating to 6.7g in total.

Altogether the cocaine found on Donnelly was worth an estimated £960.

Messages were also found on his mobile phone pertaining to drug deals with texts such as “the next batch has to be pukka”, and “blow your nose on it”.

Donnelly declined to comment and was released by police under investigation.

However, just two months later on May 3, police attended a second address in Blackburn, which was being rented by Hart.

Ms Forsyth continued: “When police arrived they saw a man throwing white powder from the window and entry to the property was forced.

“One officer made his way upstairs and in the bedroom found Donnelly laid on the bed with his eyes closed pretending to be asleep.

“In the room was a wooden baseball bat and a machete and it was clear the property was being used for drug supply.”

Numerous items were seized from the house including the weapons, around £2,135 in cash, multiple empty, unused snap bags, weighing scales with cocaine residue on them, 47 snap bags of white powder estimated to be worth £1,180, and 8.76g of cocaine with a 65 per cent purity.

A notebook was also recovered with evidence of dealing written inside and reference to £5,600.

Ms Forsyth said: “At the time Donnelly claimed he didn’t know anything about the drugs and had been asleep.”

While officers were conducting the search, Hart arrived at the property and was immediately detained, and found to be in possession of 2.97g of cocaine in a Kinder Egg, worth £320, as well as £445 in cash and an iPhone.

The phone was analysed, and police discovered messages which showed evidence of significant drug dealing activity.

Both were arrested but released under investigation with it taking until December 2020 for them to be interviewed, because of the pandemic.

The haul seized from Donnelly's car (Image: Lancs Police)

Following this, they were released under investigation again, and the court was told that Donnelly then went on to commit a further drug dealing offence in November 2021, in which he was caught on a petrol station forecourt in a black Mercedes-Benz, which contained a stab vest and two pick axe handles on the back seat.

The police attempted to question Donnelly and he tried to run but tripped and fell into a metal pole, before police carried out a full search of his vehicle, finding £869.12 in cash, a burner phone, a black mask, and a black tube containing an unknown white powder.

His home address was subsequently searched and £1,532 in cash was recovered as well as more snap bags with cocaine residue in them.

Ms Forsyth went on: “Donnelly denied he was involved in drug dealing saying he was giving someone a lift and that person had left the items in his car, while he said the items in his bedroom didn’t belong to him.”

Both Donnelly and Hart denied their involvement in dealing at first, with the case due to progress to trial, but the pair entered guilty pleas earlier this year.

Donnelly, of no fixed abode, Blackburn, was jailed for five years and three months.

Hart, of Clarendon Road East, Blackburn, was jailed for three years and seven months.