Drugs ring unravelled after bungling dealer left £40k stash of ketamine on train

Members of a 'prolific drugs ring' busted by police when a £40,000 stash of ketamine was accidently left at a railway station have been locked up. Bungling criminal Jordan McCourt-Knight exposed a drugs line when he unwittingly left his bag of ketamine on a train.

He tried to run back to claim it but the train had already left so reported it missing to staff. Once police realised what was inside the bag, they knew exactly who they needed to hunt down.

McCourt-Knight’s costly mistake led to the unravelling of the entire drugs line, with two other drug dealers identified - Cassius Davies-Thompson and Harley Hall. The drugs enterprise ran across Shropshire and the South West, with drugs imported from Portugal.

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A court heard British Transport Police launched an investigation in November 2019. McCourt-Knight left a bag containing a hefty amount of ketamine on a train at Newport station.

He did not manage to claim the bag before the train left, with the contents found by a staff member who reported it to police and launched a manhunt for the owner. McCourt-Knight had reported the bag missing to staff at Newport station and was later arrested.

A small quantity of class A and class C drugs, £1,910 in cash, drug paraphernalia and a number of mobile phones were found on him at the time of his arrest. The total amount of ketamine had a street value of between £19,940 and £39,880.

One of his phones was found to be an 'Encro device' which costs thousands to purchase and use. McCourt-Knight and other members of the organised crime group had used the 'Encro-Chat' app to discuss the sourcing, supply and receipt of drugs from Portugal.

Harley Hall was soon identified through messages on the phone as 'another big player in the drugs enterprise', British Transport Police said. Texts also revealed Hall and McCourt-Knight had secured what he promised to be a higher grade of cocaine which he was selling onto other members of the gang so they could pass the drugs onto street dealers.

But the deal went wrong and the pair fell out when ‘customers’ complained that the cocaine was not up to standard due to the amount of cutting agent used to bulk it out. Hall was arrested, with thousands of pounds in cash and more than 1kg of cannabis discovered in his home.

Investigating officer Det Sgt Dan Murdoch said: "Our officers worked tirelessly to bring about these convictions. McCourt-Knight and Hall were in direct communication with International drug suppliers, sourcing numerous class A, B and C drugs which were then supplied throughout various parts of the UK. McCourt-Knight boasted about his use of his Encro-Device which was used along with his mobile phone to source and distribute the drugs.

"But his boastfulness was short lived, as, through one careless mistake, McCourt-Knight single handedly helped bring down the drugs ring, unwittingly aiding detectives in unravelling the entire enterprise. These individuals cause significant harm to our communities through the supply of and profit from illicit drugs, often exploiting vulnerable persons in the process, and it is testament to the work of the team that they are now behind bars."

They were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday, November 8. McCourt-Knight, of Roman Close, Leintwardine, Powys, admitted one count of conspiracy to supply a class A drug cocaine, one count of conspiracy to supply a class A drug MDMA, four counts of conspiracy to supply a class B drugs ketamine and one count of conspiracy to supply a class B drugs cannabis.

The 30-year-old was jailed for six years and three months. Harley Hall, of Hope Bagot Lane, Knowbury, Shropshire, admitted one count of conspiracy to supply a class A drug cocaine, one count of conspiracy to supply a class A drug MDMA, two counts of conspiracy to supply a class B drug ketamine and one count of conspiracy to supply a class B drug cannabis and one count of possession with intent to supply cannabis.

The 28-year-old was jailed for five years and ten months. Cassius Davies-Thompson, 28, of Walcot Street, Bath, admitted possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

He was handed a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.