THE WEST Cumbrian “mastermind” of an operation to illegally import a banned drug from China recruited family members to help him.

At Carlisle Crown Court, the day after 57-year-old Stephen Lowrey was given a long jail term for running the lucrative operation over more than two years, a judge passed sentence on three of his relatives.

His sister Julie Ostle, 56, her daughter Stacie Lowrey, 37, Stephen Lowrey’s nephew Liam McConnell, 28, and Sandra Parkinson, 62, an associate, were sentenced for their roles in the “plant food” importation scam.

They each admitted an offence under money laundering regulations. Kim Whittlestone, prosecuting, outlined the facts.

She said: “The prosecution case is that Stephen Lowrey masterminded this rather simple criminal enterprise but also used family members and a friend to help him transfer the funds required out of the UK to China.”

The evidence showed that the importation business involved the Class B drug dibutylone, which is also known in the UK as plant food. Stephen Lowrey ran the business between 2015 and 2018.

“The drugs were purchased on the dark web and payment was made by money transfer, using either Moneygram Transfer, or Western Union,” said the barrister.

The drugs were being imported in 1 kilo amounts.

“The total amount transferred between November 1, 2015, and June 27, 2018, was £113,000. Stephen Lowrey was the main organiser, who it can be implied ordered the drug, to whom it was sent.

“He supplied the purchase money and made transfers to the tune of £24,558. He completed many of the earlier transactions.” The prosecutor then outlined the money transfers completed by the three women and McConnell.

  • Julie Ostle (formerly Lowrey) transferred a total of £34,181 on 27 occasions.
  • Stacie Lowrey, Julie’s daughter and Stephen Lowrey’s niece, transferred £26,298 in 21 transactions.
  • Sandra Parkinson allowed her Distington café to be used to store £20,000 of criminal cash and she was involved in 19 money transfers, totalling £23,448.
  • Liam McConnell transferred the smallest amount, a total of £2,312.

The scam came to light on June 23, 2018, when UK Border Force officials at Stansted Airport intercepted two parcels, each weighing 2 kilograms.

The contained dibutylone, which was 99 per cent pure. Sent from China, the packages were addressed to Stephen Lowrey at his Coronation Crescent home in Distington. Police also searched Sandra Parkinson’s Bait Kabin cafe and sandwich shop in Distington, where Julie Ostle worked.

In a kitchen cupboard, they found £20,000, wrapped in sandwich bags and gaffer tape. Ostle's fingerprints were on the packaging.

Defence barristers said the defendants were unaware of what precisely they money was being used for but knew it was “dodgy.”

Angus MacDonald, for Ostle, said that she was “remorseful”, and that she felt devastated to have put herself in such jeopardy by trusting her brother as she had. “Her relationship with her brother is fractured beyond repair,” said the barrister.

Chloe Fordham, for Stacie Lowrey, said she was a woman of limited intelligence whose offending featured absolutely no sophistication. “She wished to please her mother,” said the barrister.

Tim Evans, for Parkinson, said she was the least involved of the women. A carer for her 86-year-old mum, she would lose her home if she were jailed.

Passing sentence, Judge Nicholas Barker said that the defendants’ claims to not know what “dodgy” purpose the money was being used for was not mitigation at all.

“It could have been something far worse, serious though this was,” said the judge. Their actions had facilitated serious offending.

Ostle, of Solway Road, Moresby Parks, Whitehaven, who has three benefit frauds on her record, was given a 14-month jail term suspended for two years. The sentence includes 200 hours of unpaid work and 10 days rehabilitation.

Stacie Lowrey, of Michael Street, Whitehaven, who has no previous convictions, was given a two year community order, with 120 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity days.

Sandra Parkinson, of Thornton Road, Whitehaven, was also given a two year community order, with 140 hours of unpaid work and 10 days rehabilitation.

The lightest sentence was given to Liam McConnell, of Gameriggs Road, Whitehaven, who has 37 previous convictions. He was given a six month community order, with a 12 week 12pm to 7am curfew.

An earlier hearing heard that prosecutors accept Stephen Lowrey imported 15 kilos of plant food during the illegal operation. He was jailed for 55 months.