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Drug Ring Sold 1500x Stronger Opioid
9 May
Summary
- Crime ring sold drugs laced with opioid 1,000-1,500 times stronger than morphine.
- The potent drug batch led to 14 overdoses, some fatal.
- Dealers operated a 24-hour drug line, sending 900 messages to 300 users.
A dangerous organised crime ring, which peddled heroin contaminated with a synthetic opioid up to 1,500 times more potent than morphine, has been brought to light in Grimsby. Two members of this ring, Owen Barker, 23, and Jack Baker, 20, have been sentenced to prison.
The court heard how the contaminated drugs were responsible for 14 overdoses, some of which were fatal. Detectives identified the operation as the busiest 24-hour drug line they had investigated, distributing around 900 messages daily to an estimated 300 users.
Barker was arrested after an alert was raised about multiple drug-related overdoses at Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in January 2026. He was on licence from a previous drug offence sentence. Baker was apprehended while preparing drugs for sale.
Although the judge did not directly link the two convicted men to the deaths due to a lack of direct evidence, he acknowledged the extreme potency of the drugs supplied. The potent substance, Etonitazene, was being used as a bulking agent, posing a significant risk. Barker received a sentence of three years and nine months, while Baker was jailed for three years.
During police investigations, 373 bags of cocaine and 160 bags of heroin were seized from Barker's residence, along with scales and cash. Baker's home yielded cash and a seized phone. Both men expressed fear and regret, describing themselves as small cogs in a larger, more threatening operation.
