Blackpool cannabis gang running 'Amazon-style' warehouse jailed after firebomb threat
A drugs gang who operated an “Amazon-style” cannabis warehouse supplying Blackpool and the Fylde coast have been jailed following a complex police investigation.
The so-called ‘Ozone’ organised crime group (OCG) had been dealing drugs across the area since at least 2021, advertising cannabis on Telegram before arranging sales via WhatsApp, complete with maps directing couriers to delivery addresses.
The group’s leader, Joshua Shaw, 33, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 15 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply and import cannabis and being found guilty of blackmail.
His associate, Mark Kirkwood, 29, of Gynn Avenue, Blackpool, was jailed for eight years and six months after being found guilty of assisting an organised crime group and blackmail, and admitting further drug and burglary conspiracies.
The investigation began in March 2024 after a terrifying incident at a home in Poulton-le-Fylde.
Kirkwood and two other men, acting on Shaw’s instructions, turned up wearing face coverings and gloves and armed with weapons including a machete-type knife and a baseball bat.
They stormed into the property and threatened to firebomb the house within 20 minutes while demanding to know “where the weed was”, claiming a tracked parcel was showing at the address. The woman’s children were upstairs at the time.
Officers later discovered an empty cardboard box with vacuum-packed bags and a tracking device inside.
Enquiries revealed the parcel had been disposed of as a favour to a friend.
In August 2024, police executed a warrant at an address on Whitegate Drive, where they uncovered what they described as an “Amazon-style” drugs warehouse.
Inside were rooms dedicated to storing, producing and packaging multiple strains of cannabis, along with vacuum-packed wholesale bags, street-level snap bags, scales and other equipment.
Analysis of seized mobile phones revealed delivery routes, customer addresses and images of cannabis grows.
Officers also found photographs of gang members wearing police-style uniforms, which were allegedly used to burgle rival cannabis farms.
Further warrants across Blackpool and Fylde led to ten people being charged in connection with the operation.
They are:
- Joshua Shaw, 33, of no fixed abode - pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply and import cannabis and was found guilty of blackmail. Jailed for 15 years.
- Mark Kirkwood, 29, of Gynn Avenue, Blackpool - found guilty of assisting an OCG and blackmail, and pleaded guilty to further drug and burglary conspiracies. Jailed for eight years and six months.
- Albert Marashi, 30, of Cleveleys Avenue, Thornton - guilty of conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis. Jailed for four years.
- David Everton, 33, of Ludlow Grove - guilty of conspiracy to supply and produce cannabis. Jailed for three years.
- Cole Muir, 27, of Bela Grove, Blackpool - pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis and conspiracy to commit burglary. Jailed for 42 weeks.
- Joseph Adams, 34, of Sherbourne - pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. Sentenced to 66 weeks suspended for 12 months with 120 hours unpaid work.
- John Card-Mina, 41, of Cannon Hill, Ashton-on-Ribble - pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. Sentenced to 17 months suspended for 12 months.
- Craig Quinn, 50, of Harcourt Road, Blackpool - pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. Sentenced to 15 months suspended for 18 months with 120 hours unpaid work.
- Joseph Oakley, 33, of Belmont Avenue - pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis. Sentenced to 15 months suspended for 18 months with 120 hours unpaid work.
Detective Sergeant Ant Alves, of Lancashire Police’s West Targeted Crime Team, said: “Shaw and Kirkwood thought that it was ok to threaten a woman and her children when their Cannabis deliveries didn’t go to plan. They ran a sophisticated set up to prepare and sell their drugs to some of the most vulnerable in Blackpool and the Fylde Coast.
“Kirkwood’s offending continued whilst he was on remand in prison, hiding a phone detailing his criminality.
“Both Kirkwood and Shaw, along with the rest of their OGC made a decision to produce and supply drugs, running their gang as if it was a professional distribution centre.
He added: “Actions like theirs will not be tolerated in our county and we will continue to disrupt the supply of drugs in Lancashire.”
The investigation formed part of Lancashire Police’s Operation Warrior, aimed at tackling serious and organised crime across the county.
Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Op Warrior has my continued backing in the fight against organised crime gangs attempting to operate here in Lancashire.
“Officers work day and night to remove drugs from our streets, safeguard vulnerable people and to ensure that suspects are arrested and put behind bars.
“I remain fully committed to supporting the Chief Constable, ensuring our officers and staff have the resources they need to dismantle criminal gangs, drive offenders out of our communities, and deliver justice.”