Wai Lam, a 44-year-old man previously acquitted of murdering a British labourer in Spain, has been jailed for 45 months after admitting his role in supplying cocaine to users in the Southport area. Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that Lam controlled two graft lines used to sell the drug between March and September of last year.
Drug lines and arrest
Lam directed others to sell cocaine after receiving responses to flare messages advertising drugs with promises of "belter flake" and the "best about". Sarah Griffin, prosecuting, linked Lam to the operation through cell siting evidence, messages with his partner, CCTV footage of him purchasing phone top-ups, and the co-location of devices with his vehicles. This included a trip in his Volkswagen Golf from Tarleton to Bootle and back, and another where his BMW 5 Series was driven "across the continent".
Police attended Lam's then home on Bakers Mews in Tarleton on September 15 2025, with his girlfriend opening the door when she heard officers "starting up a saw" to force entry. Lam was found in the living room, with three children present. Phones used in the supply were seized, along with a Tag Heuer watch valued at £999, £3,820 in cash from a coat pocket, and Lam's vehicle. He has 28 previous convictions for 62 offences, including possession of cannabis with intent to supply in 2013.
Background of acquittal
Carmel Wilde, defending, described a pre-sentence report as "simply dreadful" and "one of the worst I have seen in terms of minimisation". She said Lam accepted the full facts of the prosecution case, panicked, and was entering court "with great trepidation". Lam moved to Spain to be near his teenage children after their mother died from pancreatic cancer. He was incarcerated for two-and-a-half years for a serious offence he was acquitted of, which Wilde said was "a very distressing experience".
The ECHO revealed that Lam's prison spell in Spain related to accusations he stabbed Ben Nesbitt, from Southport, to death in the early hours of October 1 2020 in Rojales on the Costa Blanca. He was arrested in Girona the following day. The Olive Press reported in 2023 that Lam was found not guilty. A court in Elche heard Mr Nesbitt was found bleeding to death in the street with neck wounds. Lam had faced a potential 16-year sentence for homicide and theft, with prosecutors demanding €100,000 compensation for Mr Nesbitt's mum.
Sentencing and impact
Wilde added that Lam was "in a bad place" after returning from Spain, dealing with bereavement and his brother's suicide in July 2024. He had been medicated for depression but no longer wished to take it. He had been on bail for a year, signing on daily at the police station, and had not committed further offences. He had worked legitimately for his brother in scaffolding and labouring.
Lam, now of Dunkirk Lane in Leyland, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of criminal property two days before trial. Sentencing, Recorder Katie Jones said Lam had "an operational or management function in the chain" and an expectation of "significant financial advantage". She noted the offending was an escalation over six months, but took account of his difficult personal circumstances, including the foreign jail term and bereavements. After sentencing, Lam gave a thumbs up to supporters and said: "I'll phone you when I get in there. See you in a bit."
