A couple who imported thousands of ecstasy tablets, hundreds of kilos of methylamphetamine, and large amounts of LSD, ketamine and mephedrone into the UK from Germany are to be sentenced for their crimes today.

Paul Mellors, 52, and Donna Fortune, 42, were involved in the wholesale drug operation which was operated from an industrial unit in Accrington between February and August 2019.

Prosecuting at Burnley Crown Court, Robert Dudley said: “On 25 and 27 June 2019 Border Force officers intercepted two DHL packages that were addressed to a Saul Mettows at 53 Raven Park, Helmshore.  Both parcels had been sent by “Jason” giving an address in Bismarckstrasse in Dusseldorf, Germany.

“The parcel intercepted on June 25, contained 10,000 MDMA tablets bearing the Red Bull logo and just under 2kg of MDMA in crystal form which was 77 per cent pure.

“The parcel intercepted on June 27 contained just over 5,000 more Red Bull MDMA tablets, just over 5,000 Donkey Kong MDMA tablets and nearly 1.5kg more crystal MDMA. 

“Ketamine was only found in the June 27 parcel and there was just under 1kg of it.”

Mr Dudley said the National Crime Agency made enquiries with DHL and found between February and June, the courier had been used to deliver a further 32 packages from Germany to a ‘Saul Mettows’.

Thirty of the packages were delivered to a fake address - 53 Raven Park. Raven Park was just around the corner from Mellows’ home, but there was no number 53.

It was heard that Mellows, who knew one of the DHL drivers, would make calls to her while tracking the parcels, amending the delivery note and telling her to deliver them to his home address instead of Raven Park.

Mellows and Fortune lived together in Broadway Crescent in Helmshore and also used an industrial unit at the Technology Business Park in Accrington for a games console repair business, however, it soon transpired that they were also using the unit to repackage the drugs before sending them on to addresses across the UK and Europe.

On August 1 2019, NCA officers attended Mellors’ home address but before he was arrested he made a call to Fortune, telling her to remove some of the drugs from the industrial unit into a BMW.

She did so but officers foiled the plan, and later found 11,578 MDMA tablets in the boot. They also searched the unit and discovered a further 29,618 MDMA tablets, 3.49kg of crystal MDMA and 703g of methylamphetamine powder.

Around 462g of cocaine was found, 13,239 2Bromo ecstasy tablets, 666 tabs of LSD, 2.27kg of ketamine, and 7.9kg of mephedrone powder.

There was a list found on a computer seized at the unit that was consistent with 97 separate transactions to supply street level quantities of controlled drugs by post to addresses in the UK, Isle of Man, Republic of Ireland, France, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Sweden and Greece. 

Mail bags, stamps, digital scales, self-seal plastic bags and a Dymo label writer were also recovered.

Mr Dudley went on: “An examination of the defendants’ mobile phones showed an awareness that they both knew they were involved in criminality.”

Mellors, of Broadway Crescent, Helmshore has previous old, spent convictions.

He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class A drug, four counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A, two counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class B, and perverting the course of justice.

Fortune, also of Broadway Crescent, Helmshore, has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and perverting the course of justice.

They will be sentenced at Burnley Crown Court today (Monday, July 3).