A top police officer has vowed to crackdown on organised crime after the downfall of a county lines drug ring nicknamed 'the Jimmy Line' involving the self-declared 'Latvian Pablo Escobar'.
The Skelmersdale based organisation were placed under surveillance after growing concerns over rival gangs openly selling drugs and sometimes engaging in violent clashes in Lincoln city centre. The investigation built a picture of an organised network selling heroin and crack-cocaine across Lancashire and Lincoln between September, 2020, and May, 2021.
Ryan Williams, 33, of Digmoor, coordinated the supply of drugs from his seven-bedroom house while Roberts Sokolovs, 22, of Ennerdale, bragged about his exploits by referring to himself as the "Latvian Pablo Escobar", in reference to the dead Colombian drug lord.
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Mass marketing text messages with comments such as “Try before ya buy”[sic] were sent out to drug users or potential buyers, according to police. The gang were taken down as part of Operation Stabilise, a major joint operation between Lincolnshire Police and Lancashire Police, which also saw a rival county line gang known as the 'Django Line', based in Nottingham, taken down for flooding Lincoln with drugs.
Superintendent Phil Baker, from Lincolnshire Police, said: “At times, dealers were conducting brazen deals during the day in the High Street, and there were also violent altercations between multiple members of different gangs over ‘territory’, posing a risk to the public.
"Investigations found that there were multiple OCGs operating and dealing drugs in the city centre, as well as several lone operators. We wanted to combat this prolific County Lines activity and the associated crime that drug dealing brings; there are very clear links between drug dealing and crimes such as burglary, robbery, and other violent offences."
Warrants issued at addresses across Skelmersdale last June resulted in the seizure of more than £27,000 in cash. It is estimated that between September 2020 and May 2021, the crime network would have made up to £104,220 in dirty cash.
Five men later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and were jailed last month.
- Keegan Mealor 20, of Carfield, Skelmersdale was locked up for six years and 11 months.
- Roberts Sokolovs, 22, of Ennerdale, Skelmersdale was jailed for six years two months
- Ryan Williams, 33, of Digmoor, Skelmersdale, was jailed for seven years and six months
- Jake Lightfoot, 21, of Carr Street, Lincoln was locked up for five years and nine months
- Kristers Sokolovs, 20, of Ennerdale, Skelmersdale, was locked up for eight years and three months
Skelmersdale Chief Inspector Chris Abbott, from Lancashire Police, said: “Organised Crime Gangs prey on vulnerable members of our community to establish bases and exploit young people, coercing them into moving and supplying Class A drugs. We will not tolerate this in Skelmersdale.
“We are continuously acting on community intelligence which has resulted in a number of drug warrants across Skelmersdale. We are also proactive in targeting members of Organised Crime Groups, recovering stolen vehicles and plant machinery which have all been linked to organised crime and we will deal with those who commit crime in our town robustly.
“The message is clear – drug crime is not welcome in Skelmersdale, and I would like to reassure the public that we will keep up the pressure on those involved in serious and organised crime, continually striving to protect the most vulnerable. We will relentlessly pursue these offenders and put them before the courts to make our streets safer."
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