A JURY has found a man not guilty of playing a criminal role in a massive north Cumbria drugs supply plot which had involved 16 other people.
Jail sentences totalling almost 90 years were handed down by a judge last June to men and woman from the Merseyside and Carlisle areas who were snared as police smashed a gang operating across county lines.
Cumbrian addicts were targeted by “text bombs” which advertised illicit substances for sale as Merseyside crooks brought drugs north for distribution with the help of local residents drawn into the plot – one of the biggest ever unearthed by detectives through an inquiry known as “Operation Nile”.
A 17th man, Louis James Roberto Simpson, from Liverpool, was also, more latterly, accused of playing a role.
He denied a charge which alleged conspiracy to supply class A drugs between June and November of 2018, and went on trial at Carlisle Crown Court last week.
Mr Simpson maintained he took no part in the illegal enterprise. And today (MON), after hearing all evidence in the case, a jury found him not guilty after deliberating on their verdict for more than seven hours.
After hearing the jury’s decision, Judge Nicholas Barker directed that Mr Simpson should be discharged.
