A former police officer has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for establishing a county lines drug supply network that transported cocaine from his old force area to a quiet Devon town.
Details of the Offence
Gary Parkinson, who left Greater Manchester Police due to injury, orchestrated the trafficking of cocaine over 240 miles for sale around Crediton, Devon. Between November 2019 and January 2020, when police dismantled the operation, approximately two kilogrammes of the drug were supplied, with a street value of around £160,000.
The 45-year-old admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Exeter Crown Court heard that Parkinson, who moved to the South West to be near his parents, was previously a man of 'high integrity' but made 'very poor and wrong decisions'.
How the Operation Worked
Parkinson developed the county lines supply operation through contacts in Manchester. He provided the funds for the class A drugs and sold them for 'significant financial advantage'. A co-conspirator made nine trips driving the cocaine from Hyde, Greater Manchester, to Devon.
Parkinson was arrested in a car with £7,000 cash and a dealer's list of customers who owed him money, ranging from £11,700 to £2,500. The court heard he had left the police the year before the conspiracy began and had moved to the village of Clawton, near Holsworthy. Although his home was 36 miles from Crediton, he was selling the cocaine via a dealer in the town.
Sentencing Remarks
Judge Stephen Climie described it as a 'very serious offence committed after serving for nearly 15 years as a police officer'. He noted that Parkinson's financial problems led to the drugs line between Manchester and Devon. The judge said the defendant could have faced up to 10 years, but a reduced sentence was appropriate due to his guilty plea, significant health issues, and the stress and anxiety caused by delays in the case.
A Proceeds of Crime confiscation hearing will be held at a later date.
Defence Mitigation
Parkinson's barrister, Harry Laidlaw, told the court his client fully accepted his role, stating: 'He has committed the crime and he has to do the time.' He emphasised that the offending was not conducted while Parkinson was a police officer and there was no suggestion he used police information for the venture.
The court heard that since his arrest, Parkinson had not been involved in further criminality, and there had been significant delays since he entered his guilty plea in 2022. Parkinson had final meals with family and friends several times only to have sentencing repeatedly postponed. Mr Laidlaw said: 'It has been blindingly obvious what he was going to get when this day was going to come.'
Health Issues
The court was told Parkinson has 'very serious physical issues' resulting from an injury sustained while serving in the police. In 2018, he suffered a severe injury in a quad bike accident, which made it impossible to continue as a police officer. His entire abdominal wall had to be reconstructed, and he is due to undergo further surgery to insert mesh to prevent bowel movement.
Mr Laidlaw also revealed that Parkinson tested positive for Huntington's Disease, an incurable and terminal condition that breaks down nerve cells in the brain, leading to cognitive decline. He described Parkinson as a 'reliable, caring, decent' man of high integrity before he made 'very poor and wrong decisions'.
Background on Crediton
Crediton is famed for agriculture, cider-making, and as the birthplace of Saint Boniface, the patron saint of Germany and the Netherlands, in 675 AD. The historic market town also housed Devon's first Saxon cathedral.
