Merseyside drugs gang put behind bars
A group including several men from Merseyside have been jailed for a total of 51 years for drugs offences.
A North West gang has been jailed today for 51 years for distributing multi-million pound quantities of drugs to South Wales. Officers from ‘Titan’, the regional organised crime unit, seized cocaine, amphetamines, cash, cars and even a jet ski during drugs raids in Merseyside, Manchester, Cheshire and Wales last July. Eleven men were arrested in Liverpool, Wirral, St Helens, Widnes, Swinton and Bridgend by Titan detectives working alongside officers from several local police forces and the National Crime Agency. Seven were later charged and put before the courts. Investigators were able to prove that the gang distributed 200 kilogrammes of amphetamines in a series of drug runs between Merseyside and South Wales. Andrew Steven Rogers, aged 45, of Wesley Street in Maesteg, Brigend received the drugs but denied conspiring to supply Class B drugs. He stood trial but was found guilty by a jury and was today jailed for 12 years. James Bush, aged 34, from Ash Grove, Wallsey was jailed for 12 years for playing a leading role in both the supply of cocaine to criminals in Merseyside and the amphetamines to South Wales. Carl Currie, aged 37, from Newstead Road, Liverpool was imprisoned for four years and eight months after police found 4 kilogrammes of amphetamines in his house and 20 kilogrammes in his car when he visited the Maestag area. Peter McCaffrey, aged 32, of Sandy Road, Sefton was sent to prison for five years and eight months after 9 kilogrammes of amphetamines were found in his Subaru which was stopped by patrols in Seaforth last year. A search of his house lead to £24,000 in cash being seized under Proceeds of Crime Act powers as well as a large amount of cannabis bush. Adam Parkes, aged 34, of Sorrell Way in Clock Face, St Helens was jailed for five years and eight month for being involved in the distribution of cocaine. Joseph Poulson, aged 27, of Davenham Court in Wavertree, Liverpool was imprisoned for four years for conspiring to supply cocaine. And Louis Myles, aged 35, from Milton Avenue in Widnes, Cheshire was given seven years for his role in the amphetamine conspiracy. Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson, head of operations at Titan said: “This gang were responsible for moving large quantities of Class A and B drugs around the country, mainly from Merseyside to South Wales. "They made dozens of trips to Bridend to supply criminal contacts there, returning to the North-west with the cash which they then spent on luxury items like nice cars and even a jet ski. "The drugs this gang were trading in will have damaged a great many lives and sparked violence between criminals further down the food chain who sold them on the street. Yet this group will not have cared about that. They just cared about lining their pockets, despite the misery their actions have caused. “Titan exists to take out gangs of this kind who commit serious, highly organised crime such as drugs supply. In this case we used new, improved Proceeds of Crime Act powers to strip them of their assets at the time we carried out the raids and a process is on-going right now to sell those luxury vehicles – which were bought with drug money – and reinvest that money into fighting crime. “Serious organised crime causes massive problems in towns, cities and villages across the North West and beyond and Titan will keep working hard alongside local police forces and the National Crime Agency to put the criminals responsible behind bars.”