Pet parrot puts drug gang behind bars by chirping 'two for 25'
The Blackpool drug gang was sentenced to over 100 years in prison in total
A drug gang in a UK town have been jailed for a combined 103 years after a pet parrot helped police put them behind bars.
Adam Garnett, a 31-year-old man from Blackpool, was already serving a 15-year sentence when it was discovered that he was running a drugs line from prison, with as many as 14 people helping him to supply Class A substances in the Lancashire area.
When officers searched Garnett's cell, they discovered mobile phones and Wi-Fi routers, which quickly led his second-in-commands to be identified as Dalbir Sandhu, Jason Gerrand and Mr Garnett's partner, Shannon Hilton.
After police visited the homes of the people found to be second-in-command, they discovered cash, heroin, crack cocaine, ketamine and cannabis, all of which were seized alongside their mobile phones.
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It was on Hilton's phone that police discovered perhaps the most eye-opening evidence, as videos of her pet parrot Mango helped to expose the drug gang and give police all they needed to help deliver a guilty sentence.
Lancashire Police wrote: "As part of the searches of the phone belonging to Shannon Hilton, Garnett’s girlfriend, a number of videos were found.
"These videos included evidence of video calls between Hilton and Garnett, videos of what appear to be kilo blocks of cocaine, with music including the lyric ‘cocaine’ over the top, and footage of her teaching her pet parrot to say ‘two for 25’ in front of a child, and of the parrot playing with money which was gained through their illegal activities."
Unfortunately, this wasn't a case of The Pink Panther or even Perry the Platypus, where the parrot literally put the gang in handcuffs itself, but it did play a pretty major part in grassing them up.
In total, 15 people were charged and eventually pleaded guilty, although warrants are still out for the arrest of Chloe Stott and Ryan Black.
You can watch the video of the parrot below:
DS Anthony Alves of our West Targeted Crime Team said: “These people ran a sophisticated operation to supply class A drugs across Blackpool.
“Garnett continued to run his operation whilst in prison, communicating with the members of his organised crime gang through illegal methods.
“I welcome the sentences handed down today following the lengthy and complex investigation. I want to thank my team, the Crown Prosecution Service and our prosecution barristers Sarah Magill and Holly Nelson for their work in bringing these people to justice.
“Enquiries are ongoing to locate Chloe Stott and Ryan Black, who both failed to appear at court today. If you see them, or know where they may be, I would encourage you to let us know.
“We will continue to dismantle these gangs, whether they are operating behind bars or otherwise.”
James Moorhouse