Couple who ran ‘drugs supermarket’ from their suburban home after stashing bags of cocaine in their pantry despite having two young children are jailed for 10 years


An outwardly-respectable couple who ran a ‘drugs supermarket’ from their suburban home have been jailed for a total of 10 years.

Brooke Marshall, 35, and Grant Putman, 33, dealt cocaine out of the pantry of their £330,000 house in the market town of Wimborne, Dorset.

The couple, who have two young children, sent out a ‘shopping list’ of Class A and B drugs to prospective customers which ran for two-and-a-half A4 pages and made the deliveries themselves.

When detectives from the South West Regional Crime Squad raided their three-bedroom home in August, they found bags of cocaine and bundles of cash in the pantry.

There were quantities of white powder scattered across the kitchen worktop and a bucket containing a kilogram block of cocaine. 

In total officers seized around 1.5kg of cocaine with a street value of £80,000, heroin worth £30,000, cannabis valued at £20,000 and £2,000 of ketamine.

They also found £10,000 worth of illegal vapes and £20,000 in cash.

A court heard that it was a ‘sophisticated’ operation set up on a ‘commercial scale’ and ran between July 2024 and August 2025.

Brooke Marshall, 35, and Grant Putman, 33, dealt cocaine out of the pantry of their £330,000 house in the market town of Wimborne, Dorset

Brooke Marshall, 35, and Grant Putman, 33, dealt cocaine out of the pantry of their £330,000 house in the market town of Wimborne, Dorset

When detectives from the South West Regional Crime Squad raided their three-bedroom home in August, they found bags of cocaine and bundles of cash in the pantry

When detectives from the South West Regional Crime Squad raided their three-bedroom home in August, they found bags of cocaine and bundles of cash in the pantry

Putman had developed a drug habit and turned to dealing when he was unable to pay debts to those higher up the chain.

Marshall ‘let her emotions’ for Putman take over and she became a willing part of the business, it was heard.

Both admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis.

Putman additionally pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply heroin and possession of an offensive weapon, after a knuckle duster was found in the garage.   

He was jailed for six-and-a-half years at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Marshall was jailed for three years and six months.

The court heard the couple had two very young children and they ran the business in full view of them with buckets of drugs left on kitchen surfaces.

Stuart Ellacott, prosecuting, said: ‘On August 5, 2025, officers executed a warrant at the home address of Brooke Marshall in Old Manor Close, Wimborne, and when Grant Putman opened the door they immediately saw the THC vapes on the kitchen floor.

‘Mr Putman was arrested and the defendants had been packing as they were about to go on holiday.

‘Police did a systematic search of the property and the drugs recovered were valued in the region of £130,000.

Marshall admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis and money laundering

Marshall admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis and money laundering

Putman admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis, possession with intent to supply heroin and possession of an offensive weapon

Putman admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis, possession with intent to supply heroin and possession of an offensive weapon

Officers recovered large quantities of various Class A and B drugs worth more than £130,000

Officers recovered large quantities of various Class A and B drugs worth more than £130,000

Drug preparation and distribution equipment was also found at the family home

Officers recovered 1.5kg of cocaine as well as heroin, ketamine and cannabis

Drug preparation and distribution equipment was also found at the family home, as well as cocaine, heroin, ketamine and cannabis

‘The cocaine was £80,000, heroin was £30,000, cannabis was £20,000 and ketamine was £2,000.

‘They also found postage labels and receipts and 208 THC vapes valued in the region of £10,000.

‘Cash and cocaine were found in a safe in the pantry.

‘The evidence showed the defendants had been involved in the supply of Class A and B drugs over a sustained period.

‘They were clearly selling on a commercial scale with the expectation of substantial gain.’

Mitigating, Mary Aspinall-Miles said that Putman had got in ‘over his head’ after developing a drugs habit and finding himself in debt to dealers.

She said: ‘He may have been a useful idiot for those much higher up the chain, because he is precisely the kind of person no one would look at.

‘Things escalated out of control and he got himself in way over his head.’

She said that Putman owed dealers £84,000 at the time of his arrest.

Sarah Brown, mitigating for Marshall, said her client felt ‘remorse and shame’ at her actions and understood she ‘needs to be punished’.

She said her client, who also has two older children from a prior relationship, was of previous good character.

She said: ‘She has been left by her emotions and feelings towards Mr Putman and put this before her children.

‘She knows she needs to be punished and says she has been stupid but she wants to make amends.’

The court heard their two children were being cared for by grandparents while the couple were in custody.

Grant Putman had two previous convictions for assault in 2015 and 2016. Brooke Marshall was of previous good character.

Sentencing the pair, Her Honour Judge Kerry Maylin said: ‘I have seen the South West Regional Unit document photos that indicate to me you had a vast array of drugs within your home and some might use the colloquial term and call it a drugs supermarket.

‘There were two-and-a-half A4 pages of drugs to purchase.

‘Mr Putman, in my opinion you were the prime mover in this.

‘You asked Miss Marshall to involve herself in this criminality and to take over when you were not available.

‘I’m sure you had the expectation of a substantial financial advantage.

‘You were running your own business and you were sending out messages and packages of drugs.

‘Miss Marshall, you must have had some understanding of the operation by virtue of the drugs stored in your home.’

DS Stuart Cumine of SWROCU said: ‘With the support of our colleagues in Dorset Police we were able to act upon intelligence that drugs were being supplied from this residential address in the market town of Wimborne.

‘The pair were making significant sums of money operating from their family home distributing drugs and THC products in the community and to customers across the UK through the postal service.

‘The strength of the evidence was such that both Putman and Marshall pleaded guilty to the offences and the supply of these harmful drugs, which cause undeniable harm to communities, has been disrupted.’



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