Ormskirk drug gang member jailed
AN ORMSKIRK man, who was a member of one of the North West’s biggestever drugs networks, has been jailed.
Michael Smith, 51, of Standhouse Lane, Ormskirk, was jailed for 12 years for his part in the conspiracy.
The organised crime group, led by Liverpool men John McMahon and Phillip Dyer, were caught moving cocaine to the West Yorkshire area.
They also moved Ecstasy, amphetamine and cocaine to other organised criminals in Merseyside.
The gang was jailed for 73 years after an investigation by Titan, the North West’s regional organised crime unit.
Police found £2m of illicit substances hidden in the freezer of a Garston flat and more than 20,000 Ecstasy tablets at a Huyton mechanic’s.
The nine defendants included John Michael McMahon, 45, of Titchfield Street, Vauxhall, Liverpool – jailed for 13 years and four months; Phillip Dyer, 53, of Reading Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool – jailed for 10 years and 10 months; John Hinnigan, 53, of Christmas Street, Kirkdale, Liverpool – six years and eight months; Brian Laughlin, 33, of Glenwood Drive, Irby, Wirral – four years; John Myles, 22, of Square Street, Ramsbottom, Greater Manchester – three years and four months; Edward Francis McCabe, 37, of Linden Drive, Huyton – 12 years (plus another four months for unrelated drugs offences).
Colin Rafferty, 29, of Hillside Avenue, Huyton – six years and eight months (plus another 21 months for unrelated drugs offences); Paul Morris, 30, of Longview Lane, Huyton – four years and eight months.
Speaking after the sentencing, which took place on Friday at Liverpool Crown Court, Detective Inspector David Keegan, the senior investigating officer on the case, said: “Titan has thoroughly dismantled this organised crime group and stopped huge amounts of illegal drugs reaching the streets where they can do so much damage and harm.
“Through some carefully planned and professionally executed interventions, we succeeded in catching the gang in the act, meaning they faced overwhelming evidence against them.
“John McMahon and Phillip Dyer were instrumental in organising and leading the others so it was a big result for us to find such a large amount of drugs in McMahon’s flat in Garston. They used McCabe’s tyre fitting garage as a clearing house for some the drugs.
“Their willingness to hide the drugs inside tyres and fridges shows how desperate they were not to be caught and that they knew the consequences if they were. Unfortunately for them, that is exactly what happened.”
Head of Titan, Detective Chief Supt Chris Green, added: “Titan exists to tackle and take down the most serious, hardened and organised criminals who pose the more serious threat to the communities throughout our region.
“This case, which has links from Merseyside into Lancashire, Cheshire, Manchester and Yorkshire, shows what we can achieve by working with local police forces to share intelligence, resources and expertise.
“I would like to thank all the officers who were involved in the investigation and the arrest phase of the operation, as well as our colleagues in the Crown Prosecution Service for their dedication and professionalism. Thanks to them, a determined group of criminals who sought to line their own pockets from causing untold misery to many others are now behind bars.
“These prison sentences should serve as a warning to others involved in, or thinking about becoming involved in. serious organised crime.”