Drugs gang pair jailed for 17 years

Drugs gang pair jailed for 17 years

Members of a gang which controlled the supply of drugs to large parts of Britain have been jailed.

The Merseyside-based traffickers plotted to flood the streets of Scotland, South Wales, Lancashire and Cheshire with heroin and cocaine.

Police said the "major players" in the drugs trade were caught following an eight-month covert operation by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Titan.

During the investigation, police seized drugs with a wholesale value of 1 million - including 20.4lb (9.25kg) of heroin, 18.2lb (8.25kg) of cocaine, 26.5lb (12kg) of amphetamine and 11,370 class C benzylpiperazine (BZP) tablets.

Gang leaders John Cooke, 32, of Walmer Road, Birkdale, Merseyside, and James Swarez, 44, of Queens Road, Crosby, Merseyside, were both jailed for 17 years at Liverpool Crown Court after earlier pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs.

The pair, who lived a luxury lifestyle thanks to their ill-gotten gains, obtained high purity drugs from trafficker Paul McDonald, 44, and used a network of couriers to target drug addicts in Glasgow, Cardiff, Preston and Ellesmere Port.

McDonald, of Fernbank Road, Huyton, who also admitted conspiracy to supply controlled drugs, was jailed for 15 years. Ten other gang members, who were used as couriers, received jail sentences of between five and 12 years.

The street value of the drugs seized in the operation was 2.5 million, said Merseyside Police.

Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson, from Titan, said: "Today's sentences reflect the severity of the scourge of drugs on our streets. We launched a lengthy investigation into this organised crime unit and obtained evidence that ensured some major players in the drugs trade have been taken out of action for a considerable amount of time.

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Drugs gang pair jailed for 17 years