A "devoted family man" turned cocaine courier confessed "there's two kilos on the back seat" after being pulled over by police.
John-Paul Austin, of Prescot Road, Old Swan, was pulled over on June 15 in Torquay, as part of a joint operation between Merseyside Police and Devon and Cornwall Police aiming to tackle county lines drug dealing. Austin, 43, was travelling in a black Renault Clio when it was stopped on Riviera Way in the south coast town, following a tip off.
As police were speaking to Austin, who accepted his fate, other officers noticed a man who had been walking towards the vehicle running away into a wooded area. However the Merseyside Police task-force had brought an unmanned aerial drone along, and the suspect was tracked on camera from the skies.
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Thanks to the drone the would-be fugitive, 26-year-old Marcus Ayres, was arrested nearby and a bag containing £17,500 in cash was found dumped in the woods. Both men were arrested and admitted drug supply offences at Exeter Crown Court.
At their sentencing on Friday, Joss Ticehurst, prosecuting, said Austin was behind the wheel and when asked if there was anything in the car said "Yeah, there's two kilos on the back seat". He told the court the drugs were analysed and found to have a purity of between 79 and 83% and an estimated street value of £163,000.
Lee Bremridge, defending, Austin, described his client as a "sincere, honest and devoted family man". He said Austin had agreed to bring the drugs from Liverpool in exchange for cash to support his family after losing a labouring job during the pandemic.
Brian Fitzherbert, defending Ayres, of Fir Walk, Torquay, said his client came from a difficult background and his father died when he was young. He said Ayres had made a foolish decision "to make a quick buck" and had intended to pay off debts.
Austin, who had previous convictions for drug offences, admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for three years and six months. Ayres, who admitted possessing criminal property and being concerned in the supply of cocaine, was spared jail and handed a two year prison sentence suspended for two years, alongside 240 hours of unpaid work.
Merseyside Police Inspector Darren Wallace said: “This is a good result which shows once again the value of working closely with other forces in targeting County Lines dealers. This investigation was carried out as part of Project Medusa, and continues our successful work with colleagues in Devon and Cornwall.
"We used our drone to locate items the offender looked to discard in his escape, another useful tactic to crack down on organised criminals who think they are too hard to reach. Criminals do not operate exclusively within local or regional borders, nor do they give any thought to the harm they cause in our communities, including those exploited to further the criminal gain."
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