Latest news with #druggang
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
65-year-old grandmother jailed for drug dealing
A family-run drug gang, led by 65-year-old Deborah Mason, has been sentenced for dealing nearly a tonne of cocaine with an estimated street value of £80 million across the UK. Mason, dubbed "Queen Bee", and seven other members, including her children and other relatives, received a combined sentence of 106.5 years at Woolwich Crown Court. The gang distributed cocaine nationwide, from London to Bradford, Leicester, Birmingham, Bristol, and Cardiff, between April and November 2023. Mason, who was sentenced to 20 years, recruited family members into the network and spent her illicit profits on designer goods, even planning cosmetic surgery in Turkey. The court heard that some gang members, including young mothers, took their children on drug collection and delivery trips, highlighting the extent of their involvement.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
When a Hong Kong drug queen fled a police station but could not escape the law
'Police have started an investigation into the dramatic escape yesterday of a 23-year-old Chiu Chow woman from the Sheung Shui Police Station after she was arrested in connection with a $1 million heroin seizure ,' reported the South China Morning Post on July 14, 1974. 'The escape, which took place only one hour after the woman, Yeung Yiu-hung [sic], was taken into police custody, seems to have been well-planned. 'Police have started an investigation into the dramatic escape yesterday of a 23-year-old Chiu Chow woman from the Sheung Shui Police Station,' reported the South China Morning Post on July 14, 1974. Photo: SCMP Archives 'She is believed to have intimate knowledge of the Chiu Chow-dominated drug gang and the leader apparently feared she might inform the police of the gang's activities while under questioning, the source said. Yeung was arrested when officers from the Preventive Service uncovered the large cache of drugs in a third floor residential flat in Jockey Club Road, Sheung Shui, about 5.15pm on Friday. The seizure, consisting of 60 pounds of No 3 heroin and some barbitone, was made after a tip-off was received by the Preventive Service. 'She was placed under guard and was on her way to a cell after having her fingerprints taken when she asked for permission to go to the toilet at 1.45am. Permission was granted and she was escorted by a woman constable to the toilet. Suddenly she dashed through the door of the police station and leapt straight into a red BMW, licence plate BE 4179, which sped off immediately. Manacled to her bodyguard, weeping drug queen Yeung Yin-hing is dragged out of the courtroom at Taipei District Court by policemen after hearing her life sentence. Photo: SCMP Archives 'The getaway car was eventually located eight feet below the road at Hung Shui Kiu, Yuen Long, at about 3.40am. No one was in it and it seems that the car had been pushed off the road deliberately to delay police detection while the occupants switched to another car.' On August 7, the Post followed up, reporting that 'the young woman who made a dramatic escape from the Sheung Shui Police Station last month was arrested by Taiwan police on Sunday as she and her accomplice arrived in Kaohsiung. 'The woman, Yeung Yin-hing, alias Yang Yin-chin, 26, was arrested by plain clothes detectives as she and her accomplice, Chen Chun-pao, alias Chen Kwan-po, arrived by boat. Following their arrest, the pair were taken to Taipei and detained at the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office. According to sources in Taiwan, Yeung admitted she had been trafficking drugs in Hongkong, but denied she was one of the 'big bosses'. Drug queen Yeung Yin-hing escaped Hong Kong but was eventually brought to justice in Taiwan. Photo: SCMP Archives 'Following her escape, police had set up a special squad to investigate her escape and find out who helped her. Meanwhile, a police spokesman in Hongkong said last night that although they had not been officially informed by their counterparts in Taiwan, they were aware of reports on Yeung's arrest.'
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How Premier League legend's uncle could now be set to take control of one of the UK's most secretive and dangerous drug gangs
Steven Gerrard 's 'Uncle Bobby' could now be set to take control of one of the UK's most secretive and dangerous drug gangs. The Merseyside-based Huyton Firm gang has for years flooded the UK with cocaine and heroin, making the godfathers who headed it millionaires. For over two decades Vincent Coggins led one of the UK's most powerful and secretive drug gangs, with his surname only whispered within criminal circles. The drug gang used grenades as their calling card, famously leaving one by accident outside the luxury home of then Liverpool FC boss Kenny Dalgish. But now the leadership of the Huyton Firm has been shattered after police penetrated an encrypted phone network used by the criminals to send messages to each other. Vincent Coggins, Paul Woodford, Robert Jarvis and Michael Earl are all now serving prison sentences. And a lower level tier of middle managers and street dealers have also been locked up. In the aftermath there have been two names mentioned as potential leadership candidates to take over the gang, both with connections to some of the biggest names in football. The first is Robert Gerrard, a second cousin of the famous footballer, who is already well known to the authorities. Known as being the footballer's 'Uncle Bobby' despite being cousins, he was photographed next to Steven's partner Alex during the World Cup in 2006. Robert had been wanted by police since 1998 in relation to a £1.5m plot to smuggle cannabis from Amsterdam to the UK. Despite this, the drug dealer cheered England along with Alex and fellow wag Coleen Rooney in Germany. The Liverpool man decided to hand himself in three years after appearing at the match after spending a decade on the run. He admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis resin, a controlled Class B drug and was jailed for four and a half years. But the sentence was cut by two years after the judge gave him credit for apparently 'renouncing his life of crime'. However, in 2017 he was again jailed, this time for 14 years in connection with a £60m drugs plot. To passersby, the Cafe De Ketel may have seemed like just another Rotterdam coffee shop where you could pop in for a cappuccino and croissant. But the cafe, which was open for around 18 hours a day, had a buzzer system that ensured only international drug dealers were admitted. Robert and his son-in-law, Michael Paul Moogan, used the cafe to discuss importing bulk quantities of cocaine into the UK. However a coordinated strike by elite police targeted the cafe, and officers seized two handguns, more than 100 mobile phones, £250,000 in Euros, a cash-counting machine, radio scanner and expensive watches. At other addresses in Rotterdam, officers seized nine handguns, two semi-automatic rifles, a cocaine press and a total of £160,000 in Euros. After the police raid the two men were named as wanted by the National Crime Agency. Robert handed himself in three years later and admitted conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK. The plot was said to be worth in the region of £60m. When he was jailed for 14 years during a hearing at Manchester Crown Court, Judge Patrick Field QC told him: 'Yours was a highly sophisticated and well planned operation.' Despite being jailed for a second time, his criminal lifestyle continued. Last year, Irish crime journalist Nicola Tallant reported that Robert provided advice to crime boss Thomas Kavanagh. Kavanagh, who headed up the Kinahan Cartel's UK operation, was jailed after it emerged he attempted to pervert the course of justice by offering the NCA information about arms dumps in Northern Ireland. Ms Tallant claimed that Kavanagh was assisted by Robert, who he met at HMP Dovegate, who provided advice to him on how to pervert the course of justice. Robert, it is claimed, told Kavanagh to replicate the ruse used by John Haase in the 90s, when the heroin boss led the authorities to arms dumps he planted on the outside. Kavanagh apparently sent messages on the Encrochat network which referred to Robert as the 'scouser.' Ms Tallant suggested Robert provided casual advice to Kavanagh and was not personally implicated in the conspiracy. Dublin thug Liam Byrne, whose son Lee is in a relationship with Steven Gerrard's daughter, was also jailed for his role in the same firearms plot. Steven's daughter Lilly announced earlier this year that she is expecting a child with Lee, who has been pictured with the family. The other potential well placed to assume a leadership position with the feared Huyton mob is Mark Quinn. Quinn, whose brother Micky once played for Everton FC, had strong links to the worlds of football and boxing. Everton legend Duncan Ferguson recently spoke of his close friendship with Mark Quinn and other members of the Huyton Firm, who were close to him during his playing career at the blues. Ferguson said he felt a degree of 'protection' from the friendship with the gangster who had a neck 'like Mike Tyson.' Ferguson told of how Quinn, a feared individual in Liverpool, once punched a doorman out who disrespected him. However sources on Merseyside have told the Mail that Quinn and other members of the Huyton firm often carried weapons with them in the city, and were dreaded by nightclub operators and bar staff who had to deal with them. Ferguson, on watching a BBC documentary about the Huyton gang said: 'I nearly dropped dead. I knew every one of them, I drank with every one of them, I played pool with every one of them. Some had been at my wedding. 'They all looked after me. They were my mates. I couldn't believe it when I saw the programme. I was in shock.' Quinn was also a well known boxing coach on Merseyside, and helped guide former professional boxer Tony Bellew during his career. Bellew in his own autobiography told of how Quinn 'taught him to box.' However insiders have claimed Quinn's quick temper also caused problems ahead of Bellew's clash with Nathan Cleverly. Nathan's dad Vince claimed he was provoked by Mark Quinn, which led to a fracas at the Marriott Hotel in Cardiff. Mark's older brother Michael ran the Black Angus pub in Stockbridge Village, which police linked to drug dealing and crime. Liverpool City Council's Licensing Sub-Committee heard that staff at the pub had often watched drug deals take place in plain view. Licensing Officer Stuart Moore, from Merseyside Police, said: 'We believe that the Black Angus played a significant role in relation to the supply of class A drugs in the Stockbridge Village area. 'CCTV did not act as a crime prevention tool and wasn't a deterrent for drug deals taking place within the pub.' Hugh Derbyshire, representing licencee Michael Quinn, told the hearing that the licensee felt 'victimised.' Despite the issues at the pub there was no suggestion that Michael Quinn was linked to his brother's more serious criminality. However The Black Angus was in the heart of a postcode very much controlled by the Huyton Firm - most of its senior members had grown up in the area. Quinn, from the Croxteth area of the city, was implicated in a plot to flood Scotland with Amphetamine and named as a wanted man. At one point his mugshot was circulated in Spain by Crimestoppers in an attempt to highlight British fugutives thought to be hiding out on the Costa Del Sol. He was eventually arrested in Maastricht and extradited to Scotland when he was jailed for seven years. The Mail understands he is still serving out his sentence in Scotland. A source who knows Mark Quinn said to the Mail: 'When he comes out Mark will be the biggest name in Liverpool.' The source told the Mail that Quinn had distanced himself from Class A drugs in the past due to the risks involved and had invested most of his money into property ventures. Quinn's son Jordan is also a well known drug dealer. The Huyton Firm drug gang held Liverpool in a vice like grip over recent decades, using sadistic violence to protect their interests. Vincent Coggins and his associates used their drug money to corrupt the communities across Merseyside. Cash was handed out to street gangs and scrambler yobs, who could then be used to target and intimidate the mob's enemies. Local drug dealers such as Nicky Ayers and Karl Bradley were shot dead in the street. Both men had been drawn into disputes with the Huyton Firm prior to their deaths. For years the Coggins crime firm seemed beyond the reach of the police, until the Encrochat hack which represented a major breakthrough. While Coggins and Woodford are now expected to grow old inside the prison system, police also managed to compromise the middle managers who worked for the crime bosses. Paul Fitzsimmons acted as a 'banker' for the gang and stored dirty cash for the organised crime group. Kevin Rimmer, Dean Borrows, and Darren Tierney were couriers, delivering drugs and money across the UK for Jarvis and Fitzsimmons. Paul Glynn lived in and controlled the stash house where the firm stored over £1m worth of cocaine. Glynn and his son were both attacked during the stash house raid. The Mail understands that Robert Gerrard was released on licence in 2023. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: 'Offenders released on licence are subject to strict conditions and can be sent back to prison if they break the rules.'
Daily Mail
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Emmerdale's Lucy Pargeter 'engaged to drug lord who bought equipment for Breaking Bad-style amphetamine lab'
Emmerdale star Lucy Pargeter is engaged to a member of a drug gang who supplied equipment for what is believed to be Britain's biggest ever amphetamine factory. The actress was pictured visiting HMP Hollesley Bay in Suffolk, where her fiancé Elliott Walker, 54, is jailed, The Sun on Sunday reported. Walker, of Kidbrooke, southeast London, was sentenced to six years behind bars in December 2021 for his part in the creation of a giant drug production facility in picturesque Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire. On September 17 that year he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce class B drugs, after admitting he bought specialist equipment for the lab. Run by gangster John Keet, the West Midlands lab was capable of producing 400 kilos of amphetamine per month, worth up to £10m on the streets. Lucy, 48, who has played Chas Dingle in the ITV soap since 2002, and revealed three years ago there was a new beau in the picture. Speaking on the podcast The Heal Is Real in 2022, she said: 'I'm in a new relationship now. Exclusive. Don't say anything.' Rumours ramped up in July last year after the soap star shared a clip to Instagram showcasing a new huge diamond ring on her wedding finger. Sharing a video of her unwrapping a new painting, the new piece of jewellery was put on full display when she teared back the pink tissue paper. While Walker's identity has been a secret until now, once released he would be stepfather to the three daughters Lucy shares with former long-term partner Rudi Coleano. The couple never married but Lucy gave birth to Lola in 2005 and then twins Betsy and Missy in 2017 following a long IVF journey. Lucy and Rudi came close to marrying in 2012, but opted against it for fear of upsetting their friends. Speaking to The Sun at the time, Lucy said: 'We were in Dubai about a month ago and we said: "Sod it, while we're here, let's do it". 'Then I thought all our mates would be like, "Oh cheers, thanks for the invite".' Instead Lucy and Rudi confirmed the news of their split in a statement to Digital Spy, 12 months after first confirming their engagement in 2019. A spokesperson said at the time: 'Lucy Pargeter has confirmed she has separated from her long term partner Rudi Coleano and while no longer together their main priority is raising their three daughters.' National Crime Agency investigators infiltrated the secretive app EncroChat that gangster John Keet was using along to run the lab with his associates Lucy is believed to have made a 500-mile round journey to see Walker in the category D jail. A source told The Sun on Sunday: 'Her relationship has been the talk of the prison because some other visitors obviously recognised Lucy the other day as she's been on Emmerdale for ages. 'And Elliott has made no secret of telling other inmates she's his fiancee.' The gang members were all arrested on suspicion of drug offences at their home addresses on the same day the factory was raided. John Keet, of Chalfont St Giles, Bucks, admitted conspiracy to produce amphetamines, one count of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, one count of conspiracy to import class B drugs and one of conspiracy to conceal, convert of transfer criminal property. He was jailed for a total of 18 years at Kingston Crown Court. Andrew Gurney, 52, known as 'The Geek' due to his specialist electrical installation and plumbing skills, converted a double garage outbuilding into the drugs lab. Gurney, was convicted of conspiracy to produce amphetamine and money laundering. He was originally jailed for six years and three months but the Court of Appeal found the sentence to be unduly lenient and increased it to 10 years. Keith Davis, also of Chalfont St Giles, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and money laundering. He was originally jailed for five years before the Court of Appeal doubled his sentence to 10 years. Bartosz Kaminski, of Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, admitted possession of a CS spray but was cleared of drugs offences.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment police chase county lines drugs gang across 17th century estate before officers ram car in field
Police hunted a county lines drugs gang in the sunset across a 17th century estate before ramming their car in a field. Officers were hot on the trails of Connor Darwent, 27, wanted on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs when they spotted him driving on the A46 towards Lincoln. Intense footage shows a pair of two young men relentlessly pursued across a five-mile journey in their powerful BMW 1 Series. They finally spiral off a farm track and come to halt in the middle of a field which allows officers to ram the car head-on and jump out before smashing in the BMW's windows. The last ditch attempt to evade police came despite Darwent's tyres being shredded by a police stinger as he sped through the grounds of the 17th century Doddington Hall. Police point their Taser guns at the men inside in the car and shout 'stay there' and nobody move' before dragging them out roughly onto the grass. Darwent was a courier making regular journeys between Coventry and Skegness to reload the lucrative 'Abs line'. Police say the drug line was worth up to £252,000 to the gang who supplied around 5.8kg of cocaine to dealers and users. He was caught during the chase which took place on May 24, 2022, as he hurtled down country roads. Darwent, of Hinckley, Leicstershire, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving and was jailed for two-and-a-half years on Thursday. Three other members of the gang were also sentenced after admitting conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Kirsty Reilly, 32, of Coventry, who drove the drugs from Coventry to Skegness, was jailed for three years. Sarah Makey, 47, of Skegness, received a 21-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, and ordered to do 80 hours of unpaid work. Her husband Nathan, 48, of Sheffield, dealt drugs and sent out marketing messages on his phone on behalf of the holder of the Abs line, Alistair Renwick. Renwick was jailed for nine years in April. Makey will be sentenced in August. Liam Tomkins, 25, of Hinkley, Leicstershire, was jailed for three-and-a-half years in his absence after failing to appear at court. The convictions mark the conclusion of a major operation to smash eight separate drugs lines which flooded Lincolnshire's coastal towns with crack cocaine and heroin. Lincolnshire Police launched the programme against organised crime along the county's east coast following an increase in gang violence in September 2022. Since then, more than 70 people have been arrested resulting in prison sentences totalling more than 120 years. Detective Inspector Will Tharby, of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: 'Drug dealing reaches far beyond those directly involved in the exchange of money for drugs. 'Its ripple effects fuel antisocial behaviour, robbery, burglary, and violence-not just among those entrenched in the drug trade, but across entire communities. 'Families, neighbours, and local businesses all feel the weight of drug-related crime, facing its disruptive and often devastating consequences. 'We've dismantled a thoroughly harmful operation, taken drugs off the streets, and sent a clear message - criminal networks will not thrive in Lincolnshire's communities.'
