Six people jailed for role in flooding North Devon with cocaine worth millions
Operation Haku targeted a crime group spanning Devon, Merseyside, and Yorkshire
Six people have been sentenced to a collective total of nearly 40 years in prison for trafficking Class A drugs in North Devon.
The operation, identified as Operation Haku, investigated an organised crime group operating in North Devon, West Yorkshire, and Merseyside.
The group used couriers to transport cocaine from Liverpool to Devon, which was then distributed by street sellers.
Investigators estimated the drugs transported were worth approximately £4 million.
One Devon-based courier was apprehended while returning from Liverpool with 3kg of Class A drugs, valued at £240,000.
The Defendants
The operation identified key members involved in the conspiracy.
Those sentenced include Christopher Harper, 46, of Goole, Yorkshire, as the organiser; Stephen Reid, 52, from Liverpool, as organiser; Paige Kightley, 31, from Bideford, as North Devon regional manager; Neil Warren, 49, from Ilfracombe, as North Devon courier; Karl Aldridge, 38, from Barnstaple, as North Devon street supplier; and Ezra Walker, 40, from Manchester, as supplier/courier.
The Operation
Between July 2024 and December 2024, the crime group conspired to traffic cocaine into Devon for sale in Barnstaple and surrounding areas via 17 identified trips from Liverpool.
Harper and Warren made multiple trips, coordinating through phone calls and text messages.
They would arrange pick-ups, directing couriers like Warren to locations in Merseyside.
Harper had continual contact with North Devon's Kightley during these trips to arrange local distribution through Aldridge, who would advertise the cocaine in bulk messages around Barnstaple.
The financial investigation revealed that money was moved from Aldridge via Kightley to Harper for more supplies, with Harper receiving unexplained bank transfers.
Aldridge additionally acquired cocaine from Walker in Manchester.
Arrests
On 5th November 2024, Walker was stopped by police on the A361 into Barnstaple, possessing 122g of cocaine worth £10,000, and Aldridge was arrested the same day at his home, where more cocaine and drug paraphernalia were found.
On 10th December 2024, Warren began a trip arranged by Harper, moving between Liverpool and Penrith. On 11th December, he was found with a bag containing 3kg of cocaine worth nearly £240,000 when stopped exiting the M5 in Devon.
Harper frantically attempted to locate Warren through phone calls and the media post-arrest.
Arrest of the Organisers
On 16th April 2025, addresses were raided in Peterborough, Liverpool, and Barnstaple by the Serious & Organised Crime Investigation Team.
Harper was arrested in Peterborough along with Reid in Liverpool, both found with multiple phones used to coordinate their operation.
Kightley was arrested in Barnstaple with drug paraphernalia and denied dealing drugs but admitted to passing them between contacts.
Sentences
All six entered guilty pleas at Exeter Crown Court.
Aldridge and Walker were sentenced back in January 2025 to five years four months each, while Warren was sentenced in March 2025 to four years.
On Friday 13th March 2026, Harper received 10 years five months, Reid received seven years five months, and Kightley received five years seven months for their roles.
Officer Comments
Detective Inspector Daniel Bickford highlighted the impact of illegal drugs on communities and praised the work by officers and partners in taking decisive action against organised crime.
Chief Inspector Graham Thomas also emphasised the harm of cocaine trafficking and invited information from the public to deter future drug activity.
Members of the public with any crime-related information are encouraged to use the online reporting tools or contact Devon & Cornwall Police, or report anonymously through Crimestoppers.