Police arrested two sisters for dealing drugs after after a parcel of illegal substances was mistakenly delivered to one of their neighbours.
Paris Connolly, 32, and her sister Destiny, 26, were caught after three packages of cannabis with a street value of £10,000 were delivered to Paris' neighbour. One of them was given to Destiny, but the other two were handed over to the police.
When the sisters' homes were raided, officers found a wrap of cannabis in a Louis Vuitton handbag, phones, a knife and scales with traces of cocaine.
The sisters pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.
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Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that the sisters had been coerced into drug smuggling by Jack Harrison, Destiny's partner at the time, who was jailed for drug offences.
The court heard he became 'aggressive' after being told the neighbour had handed two packages of cannabis over to the police and demanded their return or money in compensation.
Police in July 2024 had identified a drugs line they called 'Kyzer', which was run by Destiny, and tracked 2,511 flare messages sent out advertising crack cocaine and heroin for sale.
Message requests for drugs were sent including 'four white, one brown' which was slang for cocaine and heroin.
Harrison was arrested on 24 August last year for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, driving offences and strangulation of a police officer for which he was jailed for six years and two months.
Prosecutor Alison Whalley said a phone 'attributed to Destiny Connolly' showed messages sent to her sister asking her 'if she wished to work' and telling Paris 'Jack will ring you now if you do and he says he is sorry'.
Other messages between the sisters showed arguments as one sibling said 'you're sniffing more than you actually sell'.
The sisters said they had been coerced into criminality by Harrison, while their representative Ellen Shaw admitted that Paris had previously been convicted in 2017 for cultivating a cannabis farm.
Both sisters were handed jail terms of two years suspended for two years, so they will avoid prison and instead face 100 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
The judge told them: "The reason why I am not sending you to prison today is firstly your age and character. The second is that Jack Harrison, it is clear to me, is the prime mover.
"He coerced you to become involved. Those [messages] support the fact that Jack Harrison carried out domestic violence as part and parcel of the relationship. He is a bad man.
"Bad men beat you up, they hurt you and get you involved in offences."
Judge Recorder Michael Hayton KC told the sisters he 'could sentence them for five to six years and nobody could complain' after they pleaded guilty to offences which carry 'sentences of many years in custody'.
He described character testimonies and letters from the sisters as 'heartbreaking' and added that sending them to prison 'would cause upset and anxiety to young children' and put the women 'in contact with sophisticated criminals'.
The sisters wept yesterday (30 October) as the judge told them 'you are not going to go to prison today', despite there being 'facts before me that would allow me to send you to prison for years'.
Joe Harker