Merseyside Police this week brought a Liverpool drugs gang to justice, with five members of the organised crime group (OCG) being jailed for a total of almost 35 years.
Heroin and Cocaine were trafficked by the gang from Liverpool into South Wales in a “county lines” type set up.
Operation Banjo carried out surveillance on the Liverpool drugs gang for eight months from January to August 2018. The mastermind behind the OCG was Paul Hickman. His trusted lieutenant was Joseph Jones, who was trusted by Hickman to work for him on a daily basis, Liverpool Crown Court was informed.
Class A drugs were sourced on Merseyside and then distributed by the gang into South Wales, mainly to street dealers in Swansea.
The drugs were cut in Liverpool. Once this had been done, the drugs were delivered in wholesale volumes to Swansea, where they would be measured into smaller quantities and bagged up for sale
Six trips to Swansea were followed by police. The seized volume of drugs varied from a minimum of three ounces of cocaine, right up to half a kilo of powdered heroin with a kilo of cutting agent.
The purity of the Class A drugs shrunk from 78% down to 20% after being cut and distributed to Swansea.
Hickman received a twelve year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine, this sentence to run consecutive to a previous five year and three months conviction for firearms offences.
Jones was sentences to eight years in jail. Three other members of the gang also received custodial sentences, varying from three to six years.
He was picked up by police last May whilst in possession of with half a kilo of Benzocaine and a quarter of a kilo of pure cocaine. Hickman was arrested a month later after a police chase resulted in his car being overturned.
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Photo Credit: Merseyside Police