83kg of cocaine, a machete, and secret trips across the UK father and son drug ring exposed

Thursday, 7 August 2025 14:59

By David Murphy

A father and son from Greater Manchester have been jailed for a combined total of over 17 years after police uncovered 83kg of cocaine worth millions of pounds at their family home in Todmorden.

Richard Hoyland, 45, of Lineholme Avenue in Todmorden, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, while his father Malcolm Hoyland, 80, of Meade Hill Road in Prestwich, was jailed for seven years and three months. The pair were convicted of conspiracy to supply class A drugs following a hearing at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday 7 August 2025.

The investigation by Greater Manchester Police revealed a large-scale drug operation run from the family home, with links to Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) across the country.

The operation came to a head in January this year when officers executed a warrant at the Hoyland home and recovered 83kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value running into the millions. In addition, a further 13kg of the drug, along with paraphernalia and a large machete, were found hidden beneath a sofa in Richard Hoyland’s bedroom.

Detectives say the father-and-son duo regularly travelled to locations including Plymouth, Merseyside, Devon, Cornwall and Essex, distributing wholesale quantities of class A drugs.

One major breakthrough came on 8 November 2024, when officers witnessed Richard Hoyland hand over a large blue bag to a known associate of another OCG. That vehicle, intercepted on its way to Hull, was found to contain 5kg of cocaine.

Additional deliveries across the Midlands and Yorkshire were also linked to Richard Hoyland through a combination of phone evidence, handwritten notes, and materials recovered from his van and bedroom during his arrest.

“This was a sophisticated and highly organised criminal network responsible for flooding communities with harmful drugs,” said Detective Constable Elle Cartwright of GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group.

“Richard Hoyland, along with his father Malcolm, played pivotal roles in supplying vast quantities of class A drugs to gangs across the country. Their convictions are a significant result in our ongoing fight against serious and organised crime.”

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