By Eric King And Sammie Jones-
A feared drug gangster and his beautiful wife have been jailed alongside his wife and four other accomplices after they were caught with a gun and £3m-worth of cocaine.
Sam O’Neill’s and his wife Jennifer O’Neil were both jailed for their involvement in a multi-million pound drug racket in which they plotted to produce £3m of amphetamine – around 300kg – with the help of a Hungarian chemist. The outfit was also found with heroin and huge wads of cash. In a case featuring an ambitious criminal gang operating what the judge referred to as running a meticulously planned operation, their big money scheme came crashing down in big fashion.
O’Neil has a big reputation in Manchester, and those who know him say he was feared but also respected in both the drug world and by those who knew him as an ordinary family man. ” He looked after his children, he wouldn’t let them want for anything, one associate said of strong looking O’Neil, after the hearing.
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Six people in total were jailed for nearly 100 years for the mega drug master operation, in which pink ladies shoe boxes were used to conceal blocks of cocaine. Gill was jailed for nine years, while Jennifer O’Neill received four years. The five children of the married couple for 13 years are being looked after by Jennifer’s mother. The sad case shows the potential consequences of seeking the fast lane over an honest living.
“You’ve f****** ruined my life you p****,” Sam O’Neill told a police officer in court as he was led away. Their cohorts, 35 year old O’Neill, 34 year old Gary O’Regan, 40 year old Paul Higginson, and 52 year old Patrick Warde, were all equal partners in the huge drugs scheme, were all jailed for their roles in the criminal activities. O’Regan received 24 years; Sam O’Neill 19 years and six months; and Higginson and Warde 21 years apiece. Jennifer O’Neil received a four year jail sentence.
Jurors in the riveting case heard how the group made a number of trips around the UK, when cocaine and heroin was dropped off or collected. Destinations included Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, the North East and Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire.
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CHEMIST HIRED
The gang was also in the process of finding a factory where they could produce amphetamine. They heard how a Hungarian chemist was hired and brought to Manchester to act as a consultant to help them set up the scheme. They also heard how the gang purchased chemicals and equipment which they stored at a lock up in Denton ready for use. The chemist was supplied with a new mobile phone to use, and was taken to watch Manchester United play Newcastle United at St James’ Park by O’Regan. Members of the gang also used encrypted phones to try and stay off the authorities’ radar.
The following month, police watched on as Sam O’Neill, accompanied by his wife and one of their children in a car park outside a Salford casino, passed on a shoe box with a pink lid to Darren Gill. On March 8, police stopped Sam O’Neill on the M6 after he had travelled to Slough. There he had picked up 30kg of high purity cocaine, worth about £2.4m.
CHEMICALS
Police later searched the lock up in Denton, recovering chemicals which could have produced 115kg of amphetamine, with a potential value of £3m. Heroin valued at £50,000 was also recovered from Ceasars in Hyde. More cocaine was also found which resulted in a total amount of the class A drug seized of about £3m. Officers searched the O’Neill family home in Hattersley, where they recovered a large quantity of expensive jewellery, designer clothing, shoes and a handbag.
In the front passenger foot-well of Jennifer O’Neill’s Nissan Qashqai, cops discovered a kilogram block of cocaine. She denied any knowledge of the drug during interviews by police and said she was not involved in the conspiracies. But she was remanded in custody where she spent her Christmas.
The court heard that Sam O’Neil felt responsible and extremely guilty for his wife’s position, but she was not considered by the court to be free from criminal responsibility. She added that O’Neill, who has previously worked as a bouncer, had a significant drug problem, and had opened Caesar’s bar in a genuine attempt to start a legitimate business.
Happily Married Couple: Sam and Jennifer O’Neil Image: GMP
Sam O’Neill, of Hattersley Road West, Hattersley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to produce amphetamine, conspiracy to produce cocaine, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.
Higginson, of Metcalf Close, Kirkby, and Warde, of Carruthers Road, Heywood, were both found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to produce amphetamine.
Jennifer O’Neill, of Hattersley Road West, Hattersley, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Gill, of Anderton Crescent, Chorley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin and possession with intent to supply cannabis.
Jailed For 24 Years:Gary O’Regan Image: GMP
MONITORED
After the hearing, Detective Inspector Lee Griffin, of GMP’s Serious and Organised Crime Group, said: “During this operation we monitored the group closely as they conducted their illicit activities across the country, enabling us to gather evidence through surveillance and unravel the conspiracy.
“It is thanks to the hard work of all the officers in this case that a group of career criminals have been stopped from deluging our streets with such a huge amount of drugs. We have also managed to disrupt an even larger quantity of drugs from being produced and ultimately being distributed nationwide.
“Drugs wreck lives, destroy relationships and blight our communities. Those who are responsible for supplying illegal drugs to vulnerable people deserve no place in our society, and our community is a safer place with them behind bars.
“I hope this sentencing sends a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue those persons who supply harmful drugs and we will go to great lengths to bring them to justice.”
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