TWO women involved in ferrying thousands of pounds worth of heroin and crack cocaine from Birmingham for sale to addicts in Warwick and Leamington, have been remanded in custody.
Rebecca Manix and Deborah Walsh had both denied being involved in conspiracies to supply the two class A drugs in what the prosecution described as a ‘county lines’ operation.
But after just over five hours at the end of a two-and-a-half week trial, a jury at Warwick Crown Court found both women guilty of
both charges by unanimous verdicts.
Manix, 46, of Morton Street, Leamington, and Walsh, 57, of Lower Avenue, Leamington, were both remanded in custody to be sentenced at a later date with others who had pleaded guilty.
With them in the dock were Kyle Crossley, 18, of Pickard Street, Warwick, and Michael Hobday, 20, of Wedgnock Green, Warwick.
They were both found not guilty of the charges, which they had denied – but Crossley faces being sentenced for his part in an earlier conspiracy to supply drugs, and was granted bail.
Prosecutor Michael Shaw had told the jury Operation Bushey Two was the name given by Warwickshire Police to part of a bigger
investigation into the supply of class A drugs from Birmingham by a group of drug dealers to Leamington and Warwick for supply.
“This particular operation has been charged as a conspiracy between a large number of people. There is a Birmingham end of it and a Warwick/Leamington end.
“It is a well-organised and highly lucrative enterprise. There were literally hundreds of packets of drugs being moved by these
defendants (Manix and Walsh) and others from Birmingham to Leamington and Warwick for distribution.”
Mr Shaw said Manix was one of the organisers, together with her daughter’s partner, while Walsh was ‘one of the couriers, a driver who would drive Miss Manix to Birmingham and drive back.’
The drugs would be passed to other members of the team who would then supply them to street dealers.
He pointed out that other people, Meshach Duncan, 30, of Weeford Drive, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham, Kieran Aldred, 20, of St Michaels Road, Warwick, Mateusz Frasunkiewicz, 21, of Buckley Road, Leamington, and Dajon Donaldson, 20, of Coniston Crescent, Great Barr, Birmingham, had pleaded guilty to the charges.
Operation Bushey One had led to the arrests of those four and others – but having been bailed, they carried on dealing using other couriers.
Manix was involved in organising runs to Birmingham and back, while Walsh was used as a driver in her red Mazda MX5, taking Manix to Birmingham to pick up drugs and then driving back.
Manix and Walsh will be sentenced with Duncan, Aldred, Frasunkiewicz and Donaldson, and others from Bushey One including
Crossley, on a date to be fixed.
Remanding Manix and Walsh in custody, Judge Peter Cooke rejected an application for Walsh to be granted bail, commenting that she was facing a ‘substantial’ prison sentence.
