Father and son jailed after 70 bricks of cocaine found on industrial estate
Raymond Kinnear, 63, and his son Nathan Kinnear, 23, were busted after police found some 45kg of cocaine inside an Audi owned by Raymond, who had left it parked at an industrial unit. The pair had collaborated in the plot, with Nathan providing "backup" and booking hotel rooms and providing the bags used to store the drugs.
After the pair were arrested, the elder Kinnear was identified as being attached to the EncroChat username "ViperBat" when French police infiltrated the group, the Liverpool ECHO reports.
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Liverpool Crown Court heard that police had arrived at the unit on the Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree on June 18 2024, where they found the car in a unit which "appeared to be under the control of a bathroom company".
In fact, it had been subleased by Raymond Kinnear from April 28 2024, and his car was containing 70 vacuum-sealed bricks of cocaine. in Sports Direct bags In total, the 45kg of cocaine was estimated to be worth around £1.5 million.
The 45kg of cocaine seized on that occasion took the total amount of cocaine the pair were implicated in to a whopping 211kg between March 1 and May 17.
Even sold at the cheaper wholesale rate the cocaine was estimated to have a value of between £6.19 million and £7.96 million, while at the street level it was between £18.9 million and £31.6 million.
Prosecutor Nicola Daley told the court how a series of WhatsApp messages and calls between the father and son revealed how they had been moving drugs and cash over a period of six months.
Police seized several items, including a Rolex watch and around £30,000 in cash.
Nathan Kinnear was arrested at his home on Scarisbrick Road in Norris Green in the early hours on June 19. He attempted to flee police by jumping out of an upstairs window.
Paul Becker, defending Nathan Kinnear, told the court: "A number of people attend on behalf of him today, including his mum, his partner and his sister.
"I would ask the court to bear in mind his age. He may have been naïve as to the extent of the operation and the scale of criminality. He may have placed too much trust in his father and the things that he was expected to do for his dad."
He added: "He was looking for approval from his dad. It is very difficult to say no to a parent who is expecting a particular response. The defendant accepts that he made serious errors of judgement."
Meanwhile Kinnear's criminal record shows four previous convictions during the 1980s, including receiving three years in 1988 for causing death by reckless driving.
Jason Smith, appearing on his behalf, previously said: "He is 63 years of age, and he has had to accept that a significant period of the latter part of his life will be spent serving a custodial sentence."
Judge Neil Flewitt KC sentenced Raymond Kinnear to 17 years in prison and his son Nathan Kinnear to seven years and four months.
Sentencing, Judge Neil KC said: "It is clear that Raymond Kinnear was very close to those involved in the importation of the drugs. Raymond Kinnear's role was to collect the cocaine, to store it in an industrial unit rented for that purpose, to divide it and to deliver it to those further down the chain of supply.
"For that work, Raymond Kinnear was well rewarded. In addition, he involved his son Nathan in his offending. Nathan Kinnear played a part in the conspiracy on each occasion that Raymond Kinnear was involved in the distribution of class A drugs.
"There are some important differences in their situations. Nathan Kinnear's role was clearly subordinate to that of his father. It involved booking accommodation, giving his father lifts, sourcing bags in which to carry drugs and providing backup when his father delivered the drugs.
"I have read a letter from Raymond Kinnear and accept that he is genuinely remorseful for involving his son in his offending and for the upset caused to his wider family. It is notable that there is no expression of remorse for the impact on those whose lives have been blighted by the drugs distributed by him and his conspiracy."
Judge Flewitt meanwhile said of Nathan Kinnear: "It is clear that he is a young man who is highly regarded, and he has the potential to make something of his life. I accept that Nathan Kinnear was drawn into this offending by his father as a result of naivety and an eagerness to please.
"Nonetheless, he can have been in no doubt as to the seriousness of the enterprise in which he was involved. Nathan Kinnear was still a young man when he committed the offence. There are grounds to believe that he will develop and, upon release, realise his full potential."
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