Women caught with £123,000 of cocaine in Aldi bag while getting ready for lunch
Two friends caught bagging up more than £100,000 worth of cocaine as they were getting ready to go out for lunch have been sentenced.
Police caught Courtney Larkin, 24, and Ellie Mortin, 21, with an Aldi bag full of crack cocaine at Larkin’s home in Stalybridge, Greater Manchester, in May.
Larkin had been packaging 1kg of the drug when her friend Ellie Mortin, 21, arrived and began helping her, the court heard.
Inquiries later revealed mother-of-two Larkin had set up her own drugs hotline and had acquired cocaine to sell wholesale to local street dealers.
On Monday, at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Larkin was jailed for four years and 11 months after she admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply.
Mother-of-one Mortin, also of Stalybridge, admitted similar charges but walked free with two years jail suspended for 20 months after she claimed she had not "intended to be complicit".
The police bust occurred on 6 May after the two women had made plans with another friend to go out for lunch together in the neighbouring town of Mossley.
Charlotte Crangle, prosecuting, said: “Mortin attended Larkin’s address at around 11am to get a lift with her but when she arrived, Larkin was bagging up white powder into snapbacks.
''Mortin asked her if they could leave but Larkin insisted that she needed to bag everything up before she could leave.
“She was shocked at what she saw but began to help her friend bag up the drugs. She was only at the property for a short while before the police raided the address at 12:05.”
Ms Crangle said police also found a set of scales and white powder on a mirror and a makeshift table with 37 bags of white powder on it.
The prosecutor said Mortin was unaware of the Aldi bag in the corner of the room.
In total, there was 1.185kgs of crack cocaine at the property, which would amount to £123,187 if wrapped into bags and sold at street value, the prosecutor said.
Both women were arrested and taken to Ashton police station, where they gave no comment in an interview.
Officers were later able to "crack" into their phones after they refused to give them their pin numbers and found from the 8 April until the 6 May, Larkin had been running a drugs line.
In mitigation, Clare Brocklebank representing Larkin, said: “Larkin has lost two children to the care system and was just managing to keep her head above water.
“She has issues with mental health and turned to cocaine as a result.”
Mortin must also complete 150 hours of unpaid work, and 40 rehabilitation days and must have an electronic curfew tag fitted, which will inhibit her from leaving home between 8pm and 7am.
Sentencing Mark Savill told both woman: ''Let’s be clear, drugs are pernicious, and you know as well as I do these drugs in particular cause misery.”
