AN £8m cocaine trafficking plot, which delivered massive quantities of the class A drug around England and Wales, was masterminded by a crime boss from a house in Windle.
As the criminals behind the operation were put behind bars this week, detectives revealed the organised criminal gang (OCG) sourced wholesale high purity cocaine on Merseyside.
They then transported it across the country.
But it was from a house on Bleak Hill Road, Windle in St Helens where they used military-style encrypted phones, which make messages “invisible” to investigating detectives, to operate their enterprise.
Running the OCG from the St Helens house was crime boss James Kelly, 36.
According to Judge Denis Watson QC, who handed lengthy prison sentence to the gang members this week, Kelly was the boss who "called the shots".
However, on June 25, 2019, Kelly’s empire crumbled when he was arrested by officers at his home address in St Helens.
The pile of cash seized in Windle
Officers found £20,000 cash in a carrier bag by his front door and two encrypted phones he used to communicate with his crime group, which were selling the drugs on his behalf.
Officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit say it was Kelly who plotted the nationwide, wholesale distribution of multi kilo quantities of cocaine on a daily basis.
The encrypted phones where used to communicate with his brother, Stephen Kelly and Dean Woods.
James Kelly
James Kelly arranged for Paul Speedy and Woods – and then Liam Hart – to deliver cocaine to Bradford, Bolton, Newcastle, London, Nottingham, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Sheffield and Wrexham.
The investigation, which was led by NWROCU and supported by Merseyside Police, discovered that between December 2018 and June 2019, more than 100 drugs runs were made across the UK by the crime gang.
It is estimated more than 200kg of cocaine with a street value of more than £8 million pounds was sold during the seven-month period.
At Liverpool Crown Court this week, James Kelly and five other men from across Merseyside were sentenced to a combined total of 116 years.
Temporary Detective Superintendent Ian Hussey from the NWROCU Investigations Team said: “This crime group were distributing multi-kilos of cocaine, on a daily basis, across the UK to Bradford, Bolton, Newcastle, London, Nottingham, Scunthorpe, Sheffield and Wrexham. #
“James Kelly ran the drugs operation from his home address in St Helens, using members of his OCG to transport and sell the drugs on his behalf.
“He also enlisted his brother’s help to launder the money they made from the selling the drugs.”
“This is an extremely dangerous set of individuals who have links to firearms, two of which were seized, along with ammunition, at an address in Old Swan, Liverpool, linked to Marc Dermott.
“I hope the significant prison sentences these individuals have received will serve to reassure communities in Merseyside, of how seriously we take drug dealing, and the use of firearms, which have no place on our streets in the North West.
“If anybody has any information about potential drug dealing or about the use of firearms, I urge you to please to contact police on 101 and tell us what you know. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers and report what you know anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
At Liverpool Crown Court on Wednesday, Kelly, 36, along with five of his associates including his brother Stephen, were jailed for more than 116 years.
James Kelly was sentenced to 28 and a half years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
The others sentenced were:
Stephen Kelly
Stephen Kelly, 42, of Stalmine Road, Liverpool, was jailed for 26 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
He was responsible for the laundering of the proceeds of the drugs conspiracy.
Paul Speedy
Paul Speedy, 57, of Cumberland Close, Kirkdale was sentenced to 13 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Paul Speedy was a trusted courier for the gang who drove to more than 66 locations across the country.
Speedy drove James Kelly to customer meetings in Bolton, London Gateway Services, Grimsby and Bradford.
Marc Dermott
Marc Dermott, 32, of Conway Street, Kirkdale was sentenced to 26 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of two Section 1 firearms and ammunition.
He supplied the gang with the Class A drugs which they later sold.
Following a search at his home, officers discovered a full industrial drug press in his flat.
Two firearms (Russian made Makarov self-loading pistols) and more than 40 rounds of Bulgarian ammunition were recovered from an address in Old Swan, linked to Dermott.
Guns found recovered in an Old Swan property linked to Dermott
A ticklist found at Dermott's flat
Dean Woods
Dean Woods, 37, of Water Street, Liverpool was jailed for 15 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
He was also a trusted courier for the gang, making more than 30 trips across the UK.
Liam Hart
Liam Hart, 36, of Medbourne Court, Kirkby was sentenced to seven years and six months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
He was a trusted courier who was arrested in possession of 4kg of cocaine on the M6 on May 25, 2019 during one of his drugs runs.
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