Gang jailed for supplying £4m worth of drugs

5 arrested in county line crackdown

The group was sentenced to a total of 47 years for being concerned about the supply of Class A drugs.

Quinn and Bridson were also sentenced for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Shaun Quinn, 37, of Greenhill Road, Allerton has been sentenced to 12 years.

Daniel Bridson, 46, Round Hey, Stockbridge Village has been sentenced to eight.

Daniel Stanton, 34, of Finch Meadow Close, Fazakerley has been sentenced to nine years.

Simon Mitchell, 34, of Lower Fore Street, Saltash, has been sentenced to 10 years.

John Arnaud, 52, of Wentworth Way, Saltash, has been sentenced to eight years.

The group were arrested on Thursday 6 July when warrants were simultaneously carried out in East Cornwall and Liverpool by police. The men were arrested and taken into police custody where they were later charged and remanded into custody.

The men pleaded guilty to the offenses and were sentenced by the Judge on Friday 1 March.

Before the warrants were carried out, officers had been gathering intelligence and information about the group’s activities. This included capturing them on CCTV posting parcels and monitoring where these were being sent to.

As police forced entry on the property in Liverpool where Stanton and Quinn were present, they ran out the back door and threw items over the fence in an attempt to discard them. This was captured by police on camera and the items were able to be recovered, including approximately 1kg of heroin and a parcel containing a large quantity of cash [pictured].

Clothing, drugs, cash and other paraphernalia were also found at the other addresses that were searched, further linking the group to the activities and to each other.

An expert witness in the case estimated that the group trafficked in the region of 47kg of heroin into Cornwall in 45 parcels. Between August 2021 and July 2023, estimated profits of up to £ 4 million were sent back to Liverpool.

Around 50 officers from both Merseyside and Cornwall police were involved.

A Special Crime Division spokesperson said: “The group used the Royal Mail Parcel Service to transport drugs to Cornwall, avoiding typical courier journeys in County Lines drug dealing.”

“Between August 2021 and July 2023, 45 parcels containing 47.7kg of drugs were received in Devon & Cornwall, indicating high demand met by the group and potential illegal income of around £4m over two years.“

“Following the arrest of Shaun Quinn, two drugs presses and a substantial amount of cocaine was seized, so it is clear that a significant cocaine dealing enterprise has also been disrupted.

“Drug-related crime harms individuals and communities. The Crown Prosecution Service collaborates with the police to disrupt drug supply chains, prosecute offenders, and prevent them from benefiting financially.”

Information about suspected illegal activity can be reported to police online or by calling 101.