A drug dealer organised a sophisticated network of cocaine and cannabis distribution across the country under the guise of a dog-breeder, a court heard.
Jamie Walsh, 37, who fled to Spain after his arrest, had a network of drug runners across the UK on his payroll and was described as the kingpin of a conspiracy supplying large amounts of drugs between Liverpool and Cornwall, Cumbria, Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.
Walsh, from St Helens, referred to the sale and purchase of 'dogs' as a cover for his communications with his couriers and customers about drugs, the court heard. He was finally brought to justice almost five years since he was first arrested, due to delays with Covid lockdowns, the barristers' strikes and other defendants' cases.
