Operation Crimson isn’t done with the drug gang’s “money man”

He was jailed after a major cross-Channel investigation dismantled a £220,000 cocaine conspiracy. Now, the profits are being stripped away…

Darren Paul Fouracres (48) was part of a Bristol-based drugs ring involved in the importation of a kilogram of cocaine into Jersey in 2022, which saw him jailed for seven years after a joint operation between Jersey and Avon and Somerset police.

A suitcase full of cash… and a probe launched

Fouracres was described in court as “a money man” who hadn’t asked his co-defendants what they were up to.

He was caught attempting to leave the Island by plane on 20 December 2022, carrying £980 on him, and £17,960 in a suitcase he shared with co-defendant Anthony Francis Clark.

The investigation stemmed from a June 2022 importation where a Bristol-based courier was caught trying to bring a kilogram of cocaine to Jersey in the boot of a car.

It was estimated to be worth up £220,000 – or £880,000 if it was cut with other substances.

The finding led to the launch of Operation Crimson – a coordinated investigation alongside Avon and Somerset police.

Investigators from Jersey Customs and Immigration had to deal with “real complexities” to dismantle the syndicate.

“There is no way he would have become involved”

Advocate Sarah Dale, who represented Mr Fouracres at his sentencing, said: “If he had taken the time to ask, there is no way he would have become involved in something like this.”

On Friday, Fouracres’ case returned to the Royal Court, which held a confiscation hearing to establish how much profit he made from his involvement in the plot.

In the end, the man who apparently had never asked his colleagues what was going on was found to have personally benefited a total of £33,012 from the operation.

The Royal Court ordered that he must repay the sum, and do so within two years.

The Bailiff, Robert MacRae, was presiding with Jurats Elizabeth Dulake and Mike Berry.

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