Lancashire crime family jailed after drug supply conspiracy

Ian Shacklady, 67, Gillian Melville, 66, and her son Alan Causer, 45, all of Skelmersdale, were sentenced for their roles in the organisation. 

They were investigated by officers from the specialist Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), a joint National Crime Agency and Merseyside Police unit.

The family and their co-conspirators John Germaine, 35, and Daniel Heeley, 32, were handed prison terms totalling 61 years on April 3. 

To transport class A drugs around the country, Shacklady and Causer used a van containing a purpose-built compartment controlled by hydraulics that were activated from the cup holders. 

John Germaine (Image: NCA)

That vehicle was recovered on September 15, 2021, when, following a period of surveillance, OCP officers attended an address in Skelmersdale. ANPR data showed that the van had made over 40 trips across the UK. 

Shacklady and his partner Melville, both of Marchbank in Skelmersdale were found counting cash inside a bedroom. 

Within the room were multiple bags containing £254,695, as well as a number of elastic bands. A search of the rest of the property revealed a further £146,869 in cash, as well as cannabis with a wholesale value of £16,000. 

The investigation proved that this discovery was only a proportion of the total amount made by the group. 

Two ledgers were found at the address, containing lists consistent with the supply of at least 360kg of cocaine and 25kg of heroin. There were also entries showing the collection and delivery of more than £1.4 million in cash. 

Ian Shacklady (Image: NCA)

Germaine was identified partly through text messages, calls and the written logs, which showed that he had managed the supply of at least 12kg of class A drugs – either by arranging delivery or directing others to carry it out.

Heeley, Rylstone Drive, Heysham, played an integral part in the supply of large quantities of drugs to Morecambe and Barnard Castle, using three separate phone numbers to keep in contact with Shacklady, Causer and Germaine. 

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Causer, of Sherrat Street, Skelmersdale, Shacklady, Melville and Germaine, of Holt Drive, Burscough, pleaded guilty to offences relating to the supply of drugs and the possession of criminal property. 

On April 3, Causer was sentenced to 18 years, Germaine was sentenced to 16 years, Shacklady was sentenced to 12 years and Heeley was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Melville received a 23-month suspended sentence.

Gillian Melville (Image: NCA)

Germaine was already in prison, serving nine years and two months in relation to the seizure of nine kilos of cocaine and over six kilos of cannabis by officers from the OCP. The drugs were stored in a unit in Burscough, and almost £18,000 in cash was found in his white Ford Kuga by officers from the OCP on 28 September 2021. The new sentence will be added on to the existing one.

Richard Harrison, Regional Head of Investigations North at the National Crime Agency, said: “This was a significant crime group that according to its own records was trading in class A drugs worth millions of pounds.

“These criminals think nothing of the harm that the class A drugs trade brings to communities in the north west and all around the country. 

“The NCA and Merseyside Police will continue to employ every possible tactic to target and disrupt organised crime groups, and ensure their members face justice.”