Fellow florists speak of shock after Gary Pattison is found guilty of hiding £23.5m of cocaine in Valentine's Day flowers
FLORISTS say the seizure of £23.5 million of cocaine hidden in Valentine's Day flowers had a major impact on the industry.
Millionaire businessman Gary Pattison, 52, is beginning an 18-year sentence for hiding packages of drugs in boxes of yellow chrysanthemums.
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JAILED: Gary Pattison is beginning an 18-year sentence for hiding packages of drugs in boxes of yellow chrysanthemums.
Sheffield Crown Court was told Pattison used his haulage business, Sharron Pattison Logistics, to smuggle the drugs into Hull docks.
Customs officers and detectives from the serious crime unit stopped him on February 10 and the drugs were discovered hidden among a delivery of roses, tulips, carnations and chrysanthemums collected from a flower market in Holland.
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The flowers were destined for his shop, also called Sharron Pattison, based at North Point Shopping Centre in Bransholme.
Claire Anderson, business partner at Glenholme Florists in Beverley, said: "I was pretty shocked when I heard about the case and it did have an impact on the industry – especially on the supply market.
"There were thousands of pounds of roses on the lorry which was seized. All the stock that was destined for the area went with the lorry which was seized.
"Luckily, we were not affected too much but, for a lot of florists in Hull, it had a big impact."
Pattison traded under the name of his late wife Sharron, who is believed to have died more than ten years ago.
Mrs Anderson said: "Sharron was well-known in the area as a local trader and worked hard to build up her business.
"I do not know all the circumstances about the drugs case but it doesn't look too positive.
"There is a strong feeling in the floristry industry about what has happened and that with the business carrying her name it is a bad press for her and she is not here to defend herself."
Pattison's fingerprints were found on two of the boxes at the docks.
Throughout his six-day trial, Pattison claimed he had no knowledge of the drugs but the jury of ten men and two women took just three hours to return a unanimous guilty verdict.
Stephen Wharram, of Stephen Wharram florists in Hessle, has known the family for decades.
He said: "I was shocked. I know Gary and had no idea about what happened.
"He would always talk and was a hard-working guy. It takes some believing what has happened.
"The news hasn't had any impact on our business. We're not in their category of florists. We've been busy. The fact people are talking about flowers could even have helped us."
Financial experts have launched an investigation into Pattison's assets and will seize any made through illegal criminal activities.
One company that did suffer during the court case was Janet Pattison florists in Greenwood Avenue, Hull, which isn't associated with Sharron Pattison florists.
A spokesman said: "Initially, we got a couple of threats from people telling us to watch our backs, but they stopped a couple of days ago and I think it was just some idiot.
"Business has been quiet, but I don't think that is down to the court case. I think people are skint at the minute with it being the end of the month."
Another 52-year-old Beverley man, who has known Pattison since childhood, said he is still struggling to believe what has happened.
He said: "He is a bubbly, smiley chap and I find it hard to believe what has happened. I was gobsmacked.
"Gary is very insular and very hard-working."
Comments
by Blastftpast
Wednesday, November 28 2012, 1:51PM
“I find all this extremely amusing to be honest, im afraid the proof is in the pudding! I think it is very sad that Sharron's name has been brought into this on a personal level Sharron passed over 18yrs ago now and I have no doubt what so ever she will be turning in her grave!! Sadly I feel Gary's greed contributed to Sharron's passing due to been over worked and prescription drugs. Both father and son are obsessed with money 'any which way you can' Not even the £ bags on a Saturday afternoon would be able to back the haulage side!! If the haulage side was really built from scratch then I'm sure Gary Jnr will not have a problem rebuilding it??? And if Gary Snr really cared about his grandchildren? Ask yourselves why he hadn't seen them for several months before this happened? As for his present partner (Sharrons friend!!!!) I hope she gets what she deserves………. NOTHING!! Bye bye flash cars and swanky holidays.. HELLO dole office!!! If Lindsey didn't know anything about this why is she not living at their family home? I'd be there with my head held high!!!! But no she has skulked off to her daughters with her head in SHAME!!!! The Manson's will now have to fend for them selves instead of sponging drug money off Gary… I hope Lindsey lives a very sad and only life while Gary rots in that hell hole behind the electric gates he always wanted!!!!”
by YorkieTed
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 3:05PM
“Ted0177, lets be fair now, if you read the article it says his wife died over 10 years ago, and other witnesses have said she was a decent hardworking person, so that comment was a wee bit uncalled for I think.”
by YorkieTed
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 3:03PM
“PATTHATERS, when you say we all know nothing, thats pretty irrelevant. 12 independant members of the jury know more, they've heard all the evidence, they've delivered a unanimous guilty verdict - thats good enough for me, what more do we need to know?”
by BroughGurl
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 2:36PM
“To GlennQuagmire
Do you not think that they may have been desperately trying to avoid the tax man finding out by keeping 50k in cash in the house rather than banking it?”
by GlennQuagmire
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 2:01PM
“Don't you think the tax man would have picked it up if he was conjuring up millions of pounds of cash for his business out of nowhere?”
by ted0177
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 12:58PM
“I hope they dissolve all his assets and his wife ends up sleeping rough the greedy drug pushing scum bags”
by Working_Man
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 12:41PM
“Most people in the Haulage industry have been scratching their heads for a long to pondering the question of where and how Sharron Pattisons fleet materialised! Now we all know for sure that he had been at this game for some time. The most sad factor in this trial is the fact that the Prison system is far from how it should be and instead of rehabillitating criminal it only serves as a kind of college course for them. Importing hard drugs in my eyes is a very serious offence and carries serious consequences for our society and I can only hope that one day we will break loose from the shackles of the EU and all of the PC and Human Rights clap trap and see our jails resemble the good one in the Steve McQueen movie "Papillon". That is how dangerous people should be treat by the society they so willingly destroy for their own greed and gain. I sincerely hope that Pattison does not emerge from the Holiday Inn completely intact.”
by BroughGurl
Tuesday, October 02 2012, 9:35AM
“According to the press he did this particular run once a fortnight and only ever did this run. His fingerprints were on the cartons in the middle of a shrink wrapped package.
You have to ask yourself in this day and age when so many hauliers are struggling how did he manage to always have new and spray painted wagons in his fleet?
There's probably more to it than a one off situation.”
by PATTHATERS
Monday, October 01 2012, 10:30PM
“You absolute set of W.A.N.K.A.S you all no nothing funny u all think you do”
by HullKid
Sunday, September 30 2012, 8:39PM
“Good news for Hull's entry in 'Prisons in Bloom 2013' anyway.”