A man who was said to be the head of an organised crime group was a former "trusted lieutenant" in an international cocaine smuggling ring. William Marsh, 36, was involved in the conspiracy while still on licence after serving time for previous convictions.
Marsh was said to be the head of a new criminal network that sourced cocaine and heroin in Liverpool and sold it on the streets of Southampton in a conspiracy between March and May 2021, Southampton Crown Court heard, reports the Liverpool Echo.
In 2014, he was identified as part of a 'sophisticated ring' who smuggled cocaine from mainland Europe in to the Merseyside area. A then 28-year-old Marsh was said to be a “facilitator”.
Ian Harris, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court that Marsh went abroad to oversee the hand over of high purity cocaine to couriers who brought it back to Liverpool. Over the course of the conspiracy period, he was said to have travelled to Turkey, France, Spain, Holland and Dubai.
He was convicted alongside fellow gang members Christopher Corry, Jordan Talbot, Ryan McQueen and James Gradwell, who were jailed for a combined 48 years. The ringleader of that group, Dominic McInally, was caught by Spanish police in Marbella in February 2020 while on the run.
The gang were caught when 6kg of high purity cocaine, stashed inside in a specially designed hidden compartment inside a Seat Leon car, was intercepted by police in France with one member behind the wheel.
Marsh had fled before his arrest and was locked up for 10 years, released on license in 2019. But by spring of 2021, Hampshire Police investigated a network of cocaine and heroin dealers based in Southampton. A total of £500,000 worth of drugs were seized from a number of addresses.
He was linked to the group by messages seized from devices of members and arrested in September. He denied any involvement but was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Judge Mr Justice Henry said the group planned to bring around 48kg of Class A drugs, worth more than £4.5million when cut into street deals, in to Southampton. Marsh was subsequently jailed for 15 years and handed a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years following his release from prison.
Detective Constable Amy Speed of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Complex Investigation Support Unit, said: “We hope that the sentencing passed by the judge sends out a clear and stark message to those currently involved in drug supply, or those that are considering it, across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
"We are absolutely clear that we do not tolerate any form of drug-supply, or the associated criminal exploitation or drug-related harm, that comes with committing these offences. Organised criminal gangs, as was the case in this instance, or individuals who are going out intending to distribute quantities of drugs on the streets of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will be found and will be stopped.
“We will continue to deal robustly with those that continue to cause harm to our communities; working with local and national partners in order to place those responsible in front of the criminal justice system and for justice to be served.
“In sentencing these men for the crimes they have committed, not only are they behind bars – some for a considerable amount of time – and off the streets so that they can no longer cause harm to our local communities."
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