Drug Dealing Gang Jailed For 68 Years
Nine people have been sentenced to nearly 68 years for their part in the supply and distribution of controlled drugs in the Prescot and Huyton areas of Knowsley. The seven month-long undercover investigation revealed the scale of the drug supply by this organised crime group. Detective Sergeant Paul McVeigh who led this investigation said: “This was a highly organised criminal gang who provided a 24/7 service supplying class A drugs on the streets of Prescot and Huyton. “To do this, they operated a shift system and during our investigation we believe that they dealt with in excess of 77,000 drug transactions. We estimate that this translates to a street value of between £1.7 million and £2.4 million worth of drugs they were dealing with. “Their annual turnover will have been nearly double this, so today’s convictions has resulted in taking a considerable amount of drugs off our streets.” The police investigation led to a number of drugs seizures against the defendants, which subsequently linked them to addresses where illegal drugs were found. A significant seizure of cocaine was made at 6, Lugsmore Lane in St Helens in July 2014. This was the home address of Daniel Mangan and Lynsay Hall and approximately £100,000 worth of the drug was found in the kitchen. All nine pleaded to conspiring to supply class A drugs and appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 11 September 2015, receiving sentences totally 67 years 7 months. Dean Millington and Daniel Mangan headed up this organised crime group. Millington took on the role as the director of operations and received a 16 years 6 months imprisonment. He was on licence for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at the time of this investigation. Mangan, who got 11 years 4 months, played a leading role as a ‘hands on’ supplier and when officers executed a warrant at his home on Lugsmore Lane in July 2014, they found approximately £100,000 worth of cocaine in the kitchen.
Lynsay Hall was the partner of Mangan and was residing at the address on Lugsmore Lane at the time of the warrant. She played a significant role in the conspiracy, acting as a driver and supplying drugs and was handed 5 years 4 months. Their associates Paul Mangan, who received 4 years 3 months, Sean Meadows 8 years, Dean Inman 6 years 3 months, Alan Golding, 6 years 8 months, Kerry Jennings, who is the long term on-off partner of co-accused Daniel Mangan was given 4 years 3 months. They all played a significant role in this conspiracy. David Rankin was primarily used by this organised crime group as a driver, helping to facilitate his co-defendants to carry out their drug dealing activities and given 4 years 8 months. Millington and Mangan both received a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO) for five years following release from custody.
Sergeant McVeigh continued: “We’ve seen some significant sentences handed out today, which I hope sends out a clear message to drug dealers that here in Merseyside we will do everything in our powers to track you down and see justice done. “It is thanks to information from the community that we were able to send in undercover officers to gather enough evidence to put this crime group through the courts and be given sentences they’ve received today. “They went to great lengths to avoid police detection and very determined not to be caught, to the extent that they hid drugs inside their bodies. “I’d also like to thank Knowsley Council and the Crown Prosecution, who we worked closely with and helped us see justice done today.” Anyone with information about drugs in their area can call Merseyside Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.