Police bust major drug operation after noticing 'Scouse presence' in town (2025)

Police uncovered a major drug trafficking operation

Police have uncovered a major drug smuggling operation run by a Liverpool crime family after noticing a "Scouse presence" in a town on the South Coast. Several people have received jail sentences in connection with the county line, called "Scouse Dave".

The county line was operated by brothers Anthony and Brian Siner in Plymouth and Gosport. Between them, the two brothers masterminded the operation from hundreds of miles away in Liverpool.

There they saw the two coastal communities flooded with Class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin. Anthony ran the Siner OCG which ran the substances through Gosport, the Liverpool ECHO reports.

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Meanwhile Brian, known as 'Big Show', ran an operation from his prison cell which smuggled drugs out Plymouth. There, he had been serving a 14-year sentence for other offences related to the supply of drugs in the North West.

In the operation, the pair would use drug addicts to supply at least 25kg of crack cocaine and heroin in Gosport and 9.6kg in Plymouth in a period between January 2022 and March 2023.

A police operation involving several forces in the Isle of Wight, Merseyside, and Devon and Cornwall led to the conviction of upper management in the gang.

Several individuals who are linked to the gang have also appeared in court before the end of last week for sentencing over the roles in the operation.

After targeting suppliers in Gosport, police gained intelligence supporting the probe allowing officers to work their way up the chain of command.

The 'Scouse Dave' county line had become embedded in the town for several years as local officers had removed drugs from street level distributors and dealers.

Members of the Siner's gang had also been tasked with overseeing the dealing in Gosport, and officers noted a "Scouse presence" on the streets.

The operation proved to be highly sophisticated and effectively run like a business.

People were paid a wage and worked shifts before returning home to the their families.

Officers established that couriers would bring drugs either down to Gosport or Plymouth in bulk or would carry out trips to collect the cash proceeds from gang members, which were then transported up to the Liverpool.

It was during one such trip that a vehicle being driven by gang member Gareth Roberts was stopped by police near to Plymouth on November 15 2022.

Police seized approximately 3kg of crack cocaine and heroin from the van, and further investigation revealed phone contact between Anthony and Brian Siner, with Brian being determined to be running the Plymouth line.

Officers then worked on identifying other local runners and co-conspirators in Hampshire to either store or deal drugs.

After making a number of arrests the investigation team saw that there was a pause in activity on the drugs line.

They then sent out an en masse text message targeted at drug users who had contact with the line warning them that it was interrupted by police, and telling them where they could find support services.

In July 2023 Merseyside Police supported police in Hampshire with a day of action carrying out warrants, that saw both Siner brothers arrested.

The brothers were then charged and remanded to prison for their involvement in the conspiracy.

Appearing in court in January, Anthony Siner, 38 and of Monterey Road in Old Swan, was jailed for 17 years and seven months after he admitted four counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, while his brother, 41 and of Clint Road in Edge Hill, pleaded guilty to two counts of the same charge and received a sentence of 15 years and nine months.

Co-conspirators Gareth Roberts, 43 and of York Road in Southend-on-Sea, and Lee Illingworth, 39 and of no fixed abode, received respective sentences of six years and nine months for four counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and two years, suspended for two years for two counts of the .

Seven more of the gang were sentenced over the course of March 20 and 21.

These included operational manager Gary Cranney, 41 and of Eldonian Way in Vauxhall, who was jailed for seven years for four counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and Lee Richardson, 27 and of Blackhorse Lane in Stoneycroft, sentenced to nine years in prison for two counts of the same offence.

Others sentenced last week were operational manager Adam Hughes, 38 and of Speedwell Lane in Heathfield, jailed for eight-and-a-half years for two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs; Demi Hannon, 27 and of Gorst Street in Anfield, who received a two year community order consisting of 25 rehabilitation days and 150 hours of unpaid work for participation in the criminal activities of an organised crime group; and Donna Yuen, 48 and of Davenport in Gosport, who pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and was handed a 22-month sentence, suspended for two years.

Max Pike, 28 and Little Chilworth in Gosport and Clayton Donnelly, 21 and of Sunbeam Way in Gosport, both pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and were jailed for five years and seven months and four-and-a-half years respectively. Six other defendants still remain to be sentenced.

Hampshire and Isle of Man Constabulary Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy, district commander for the Gosport area, said: "These gangs are linked to violence, including use of weapons, as well as wider community issues such as anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime.

"These are not people you want operating in your area. They prey on the vulnerable, but sometimes drug runners can be vulnerable themselves and forced into this world, particularly if they are young or have been exposed to violence from a young age."

District Sergeant Peter Sloan, from Merseyside Police, added: "Drug dealing destroys lives and contributes to the cycle of crime and exploitation. In Merseyside, we are doing all we can to stop drug activity and make it a hostile environment for organised crime groups.

"This was a complex investigation but thanks to the work of Hampshire Police, Devon and Cornwall and our dedicated county lines team, Project Medusa, we have been able to secure significant sentences.

"The investigation showcases the success of working together with other forces to close county lines and put organised criminals behind bars."