He was sentenced alongside a woman for their roles in conspiring to supply drugs into the region
Alex Driscoll Breaking news reporter
19:07, 02 Mar 2026
A .22 Colt revolver (Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
A man with a handgun and 38 bullets turned up as police raided a property in a Devon village.
The gunman, Ian Johnson, 53, and Jacqueline Clark, 56, appeared at Exeter Crown Court on Friday, February 27, and were both given suspended prison sentences.
Clark, of Penny Meadow Road, Bridford, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to supply cannabis and possession with intent to supply MDMA and was convicted of conspiring to supply cocaine and possessing cannabis resin with intent to supply. She was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years.
Johnson, of Cranesbill Way, Newton Abbot, was convicted of conspiring with his co-defendants to supply cannabis, possession of a prohibited weapon, namely a .22 Colt Rimfire Revolver and was also convicted on two charges of attempting to pervert the course of justice, relating to incidents in June 2020 and September 2023. He pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of ammunition for a firearm.
Cocaine worth over £80,000.(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
Devon and Cornwall Police said the majority of the charges relate to incidents between January 1, 2020, and May 1, 2020.
A third person, Stephen Wills, was previously jailed for nine years for his role in another case by Judge Stephen Climie on March 13, 2025, at Exeter Crown Court. This sentence was increased following an appeal by the prosecution to the Court of Appeal to 14 years on June 6.
Wills, of West End Road, Buckfastleigh, pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to supply cocaine, conspiring to supply cannabis, possession of ammunition for a firearm and possession of a firearm, both when prohibited to do so and possession of a prohibited, automatic weapon, and was sentenced as part of the hearing in March 2025.
Vehicle search on A38 found kilo of gunpowder
A World War Two M1 Carbine semi-automatic rifle.(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
The court heard that Wills was stopped while driivng a white Nissan Navara on the A38 near Ivybridge shortly after 11am on Friday, May 1, 2020.
The vehicle was searched and a kilogram of gunpowder with other component parts of ammunition were found, as well as a fixed blade knife in the glovebox.
Wills was arrested and his home address was searched in Bridford.
A Colt .22 revolver.(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
As officers searched the property, Johnson arrived at the scene in possession of a small handgun, which he claimed was decommissioned. Testing of the handgun found that it was fully operational and 38 bullets, which could be used in the weapon, were found in his car.
Items connecting to growing cannabis was also found in his vehicle and Johnson was arrested at his home address on May 6, 2020. Further ammunition and firearm parts were located at his home and business address.
Ammunition for the revolver.(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
A number of weapons, including a shotgun, two rifles and a semi-automatic American army assault rifle, with ammunition, was found.
Sophisticated cannabis grow located in Bridford
In a search of another building in Bridford, a “young but sophisticated cannabis grow” was found which was fully operational.
Wills and Johnson were both linked to the scene and just over a kilo of cocaine was found at the site, with a street value of £84,560, with two sets of scales and a vacuum pressing machine.
Clark arrived at the Bridford address on May 1, 2020, and their home address was searched nearby.
The search found more than a kilo of cannabis, with a street value of nearly £10,000, and two blocks of cannabis resin with a street value of over £500.
Cannabis resin found in Clark’s home address.(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
Johnson was convicted of two offences of perverting the course of justice.
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “On June 22, 2020. and again on September 25, 2023, he claimed to have received threatening text messages purporting to be from other conspirators.
“The jury found these to be false claims and that on the second occasion he had purchased the phone from which the message was sent himself and had possession of the phone at the time the message was sent.
“This was done in order to try to support his false claim that he had been pressured to become involved in the cannabis grow and to obtain the handgun.”
“Complex and large-scale investigation”
Holdall containing cocaine and a vacuum press.(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
Judge Anna Richardson sentenced Clark to two years in jail, suspended for two years, and ordered her to complete 15 rehabilitative activity days, with other sentences to be served concurrently.
Judge Richardson sentenced Johnson to one year and 50 weeks in jail, suspended for two years, and ordered him to do 30 rehabilitative activity days, with other sentences to be served concurrently.
Detective Superintendent Ben Davies said: “This was a complex and large-scale investigation into the supply of large quantities of class A and B drugs within the region and the possession of a number of illegally held lethal firearms.
“I commend the professionalism and dedication of Devon and Cornwall Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Unit for the lengths they have gone to ensuring that the organised crime group were identified, arrested and convicted and the removal of drugs and firearms from our streets.
“This investigation started during the national coronavirus >Covid pandemic which brought challenging conditions to both the teams and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
“I thank the CPS and those working within the Complex Case Unit for their continued support in making our communities across the region safer.
“As a force, we will continue to pursue organised crime groups to protect the communities they target.
“If anyone sees any drug-dealing activity, they can report it with confidence to the police or Crimestoppers so that it can be investigated and stopped, and those involved brought to justice.”
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