Paul Swale, 35, has been jailed for three years and nine months after police raided two addresses in Bootle and seized drugs worth up to £180,000, along with Rolex and Versace watches and more than £50,000 in cash.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Wednesday that officers attended a property on Hawthorne Road in Bootle, linked to both Swale and co-defendant Brian Bennett, on January 20 this year. Searches revealed quantities of cocaine and cannabis, £54,410 in cash, two Rolex watches, a Versace watch, drugs packaging and tick lists.
Second address searched
An address on Prior Street, connected to Swale, was also searched on the same date. More cannabis was seized from the bedroom, with Swale spotted by officers outside in a Ford van, which was also found to contain class B drugs and another tick list.
A total of 292g of cocaine had a purity of 91% and a street value of between £11,680 and £20,440. Peter Wilson, prosecuting, said: "The purity of the cocaine was high, import quality and was a premium product. The expert therefore expects the value to be at the higher end of the range."
Packages of cannabis seized from the two homes were valued at £158,954. A phone seized from Hawthorne Road contained messages "suggesting the sale of haze and dog in quarter ounce deals".
Previous gun discovery
Swale, of no fixed address, has five previous convictions for 13 offences, including six years for drugs and firearms matters in 2013 and 12 months for possession of a class B drug with intent to supply in 2017.
The ECHO previously reported that Swale was caught minding a home-made pistol. Police were led to the discovery after seeing the then 23-year-old walking along Lavender Way in Walton smoking cannabis. Swale was chased onto Walton Hall Park, where he burst into tears after being found in possession of drugs.
Officers then searched his girlfriend's home on nearby Honeysuckle Drive, where they found his younger brother running out the back door and vaulting a fence while carrying a plastic bin bag. Having been chased onto Lime Close, he was detained in possession of a machete, a knuckle duster, £180 in cash, £3,500 of cannabis and a homemade pistol, together with blank ammunition. He too was said to have started crying as he was arrested.
Court sentencing
Swale admitted possession of cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a yellow Montirex t-shirt, he was jailed for three years and nine months.
Bennett pleaded guilty to permitting a premises to be used for the supply of cocaine and cannabis, possession of criminal property and possession of a prohibited weapon in relation to a stun gun seized by police. Wearing a navy blue Columbia fleece in the dock and clutching a small Amazon parcel, he was handed a 15-month imprisonment suspended for two years with a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 20 days.
Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC told Swale: "Plainly, it is a significant aggravating factor that you have two previous sets of offences for drug trafficking offences. I entirely accept that this is the first occasion you have been before the courts for drug trafficking offences relating to class A drugs."
Turning to Bennett, Judge Cummings said: "The balance, in my judgement, comes down in your favour. This will be a suspended sentence order. No doubt you are relieved to learn that you are not going prison. Do not make the mistake of thinking that this is all over. It is not."
