The gloating messages of a Liverpool gang caught trying to flood the UK with high purity cocaine from Holland can today be revealed.
James Gradwell was a prime mover in a class A conspiracy who boasted of quaffing champagne and sniffing ‘Charlie’ on a ferry as he journeyed to the continent on a drugs trip.
The mob, four of whom have already been jailed for 35 years, stashed their packages in a secret space inside the transmission of a Seat Leon.
They used a Blackberry phone, which was nicknamed ‘PGP’ – standing for ‘pretty good privacy’, and was used by them to exchanges messages about their £1.25m plot.
Christopher Corry, 41; Ryan McQueen, 32; Jordan Talbot, 22 and William Marsh, 28, worked with Gradwell to move 6kg of cocaine into Merseyside, which was uncovered by detectives close to Crosby .
Corry, of Halifax Crescent, Thornton , was jailed for 11-and-a-half years, McQueen, of Laurel Drive, Laurel Vale, County Armagh, got six years, Talbot, of Elson Road, Formby , received six-and-a-half years and Marsh, of Rock Lane, Melling , was locked up for ten years and eight months.
Liverpool Crown Court heard the drugs were capable of being bulked up with adulterants to make 22.5kg of street product.
In one of the gang’s messages, read: “Av taped these bits up quite a bit coz I wanted to make sure they were in the slot, so make sure you’ve got a Stanley{knife}, lar.
“Uve got to make sure they go all the way back and the last one will just about squeeze in.”
The reply said: “The new 1 is gonna fit 10{kilos} anyway so ya won’t have a problem with that 1.
“Happy days…we’ll have a good system going, we’re gonna get a proper stash car for over here soon as well, lad, then we’re tight when we work.”
Just before the drugs handover in January, 2014, Gradwell travelled to Hull and caught a ferry to Rotterdam in Holland, texting others and boasting of drinking champagne and being ‘on the Charlie.’{cocaine}
Today Gradwell, 24, was in court after pleading guilty to conspiring to supplying Class A drugs.
His sentencing, at Liverpool Crown Court , will be completed on Thursday.
He told prosecutors: “I accept that I was aware that this vehicle was in some way connected to the importation of drugs.
“I was paid 2,000 Euros to carry out the two trips.”
Prosecutor Ian Harris said his role was far bigger, and said: “This defendant is an integral and trusted participant in a professionally organised drugs conspiracy.
“He played a significant role and his asserted knowledge is an attempt to dilute his role to the absolute minimum.”
He said the 6kg importation was to be the first of several in a very lucrative business and that during the conspiracy, the gang travelled to Turkey, France, Spain, Holland and Dubai.
Julian Linskill, defending Gradwell, of no fixed address, said his client was a landscape gardener who’d been lured into the drug plot by his friends.
He added: “He comes from a wholly respectable background. His father is a senior prison officer at HMP Liverpool.
“His parents are devastated at their son’s involvement in this crime.”
(Proceeding)
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/