A BARROW entrepreneur used his award-winning cleaning business as 'cover' for a cocaine dealing operation that he ran with two criminal associates, a court heard.

The conspiracy crumbled when one of the three men involved was stopped by police in a car registered to Michael Fury’s company MitieClean in December 2021 and officers discovered cocaine worth £12,500 under the spare wheel.

Both Fury, 38, of Crossland Park Road, Barrow, and 40-year-old Collins, of Prescott Road, St Helens, denied conspiring to supply the class A drug.

Read more: Barrow's MitieClean awarded Best Newcomer Business of 2021

They were convicted after a trial. The third conspirator, 41-year-old Carl Sumner, has admitted the same offence. Prosecutor Kim Whittlestone outlined the facts.

The conspiracy ran between September 2021 and February 2022 and involved the defendants conspiring to supply £150,000-worth of cocaine in south Cumbria.

Referring to Fury, the prosecutor said: “He used his business MitieClean as cover and kept himself at arms distance from the actual supply of the drugs. He recruited and used Robert Collins and Carl Sumner.

“They were friends and very much party to the street dealing of the cocaine purchased and sold.” The cocaine was brought into Cumbria from other areas before being 'bulked out' and then sold as street deals.

Miss Whittlestone said phone messages provided clear evidence of the cocaine supply conspiracy. She said: “They discuss and send between themselves lists of debtors who have purchased their drugs on tick and owe money as a result.

"They discuss the police and how to avoid detection and it’s clear that Michael Fury thinks that he is ahead of the game in that regard.

“They keep each other abreast of any information they have of drug arrests and comment on the extent of police operations.

"They discuss advertising and how they can drum up business at times when the sale of the cocaine seems to be slowing down.

“They talk about targeting local companies who have well-paid employees - BAE being one of them - and also targeting particular individuals who they know will be good customers.” 

The phone evidence also includes one message in which Fury showed he thought he would never be caught. It said: “I am not [bothered] about any law in this land.”

Police got their first hard evidence of the operation on December 16, 2021, when officers stopped the Audi A5 that Sumner was driving near Kendal.

The court heard it was insured to MitieClean. Under the spare wheel, the officers found a hidden package, containing 124g of cocaine that was 75 per cent pure.

At Fury’s home, police found two Pringles cans modified into 'hides' with hidden compartments for cash or drugs. At the business, police found phones, including one that contained Snapchat messages relating to drug supply.

Phone messages also revealed tensions within the conspiracy with Collins feeling he was not getting his fair share of profits and accusing Sumner of stealing cash and taking the drugs for himself, the court heard.

Steve Swift, for Fury, said the defendant faced difficulties in his early life, enduring periods of homelessness. He rebuilt his life after release from an earlier prison term.

A former window cleaner, Fury had worked to build up his cleaning business in an effort to move on with his life. “It was a productive business,” said the barrister, pointing out that Fury did charitable work in the community through his firm.

The barrister said there was a question mark over the amount of cocaine supplied during the conspiracy. It had involved 'shared profits' between him and his associates in what was a 'small scale enterprise.'

Robert Dudley, for Collins, said the defendant had written to the judge a week after he was convicted, accepting responsibility for his offending and offering an explanation.

“He was desperate at the time, having no money following lockdown,” said the barrister.

Collins had denied the offence because he had found a job and did not want to let down his new employer. Being disappointed with the lack of cash being generated, Collins had withdrawn from the conspiracy after two months, the court heard.

He had been involved with supplying no more than 250g per month for two months, it was said.

Judge Michael Fanning said Fury, who played the leading role in the conspiracy, built up a successful and legitimate business despite some dubious practices such as not charging VAT in exchange for cash.

“Mr Fury is an entrepreneur of some ability and he proved that with MitieClean. He should have focused his talents on that legitimate enterprise,” said the judge.

Instead, Fury had used his business as a cover for his drugs business, recruiting Collins and Sumner, bringing drugs into Cumbria and, despite keeping his distance from direct supply to customers, he communicated with 'valued customers.'

Fury had not been a classic 'drugs boss', he said.

While he recruited his associates and ran the operation, he operated in a 'cooperative' fashion and was willing to share profits with his associates.

Compared to other drug business, this one was less professional, less hierarchical, and less aggressive, said the judge.

Fury has 32 previous offences including for violence and possessing offensive weapons, the court heard. Noting that the defendant led the enterprise, and continued it even after his arrest, Judge Fanning jailed Fury for 11 years.

He jailed Collins for seven years and six months. Sumner, of Hartington Street, Barrow, will be sentenced on April 12. 

In September 2021, as part of the Best New Business at the UK Enterprise awards by SME News, MitieClean was named Best New Business for its success during the Covid lockdown.

The two defendants were jailed in the same week a judge handed combined jail terms of 106 years to nine members of another drugs gang that operated in Cumbria - a result that shows drug criminals are not untouchable, say police.

Read more: Updated: Criminals in county's biggest drugs case jailed for 106 years