Five Years on Run Ends in Dutch Street
One of the key figures behind Liverpool's infamous Huyton Firm has been sentenced to 18 years in prison after his cover was blown during an alcohol-fuelled episode in the Netherlands. Francis Coggins, 60, had successfully evaded law enforcement for five years before his dramatic arrest by Dutch police for being drunk and disorderly.
The court heard how Coggins was found "collapsed" in the street outside a residential property in the coastal town of Zandvoort, where he had been living while coordinating a sophisticated drug importation operation. His younger brother Vincent, 59, who focused on the gang's UK operations, had already been arrested and jailed in 2020.
Multi-Million Pound Drug Operation
Liverpool Crown Court learned that Francis Coggins orchestrated the importation of more than a tonne of class A drugs with a minimum wholesale value exceeding £16 million. The sophisticated operation saw cocaine and heroin shipped from mainland Europe to North Wales hidden within parcels using the UPS network.
Prosecutor Alex Langhorn revealed: "The OCG which were engaged in sourcing, storing and supplying wholesale, multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and diamorphine, more commonly known as heroin. They sold to people locally on Merseyside, across the country, and in Scotland."
Coggins used genuine UPS account numbers, predominantly belonging to unsuspecting clothing company G-Star Raw, with waybills stating that the receiver would pay shipping costs. The parcels were addressed to real homes in the area covered by UPS's Deeside depot but were intercepted by a corrupt worker who passed the drugs to couriers for distribution to other UK gangs.
Brothers Ran Violent Criminal Enterprise
The court heard that Francis and Vincent Coggins operated as equals in the criminal hierarchy, with each having their own areas of responsibility. Messages showed both brothers were referred to as "gaffa" or "headmaster" by other gang members.
Their organisation, known as the Huyton Firm, supplied 350kg of drugs over just a three-month period in spring and early summer 2020. The operation generated enormous profits, with £880,000 in cash collected during a single two-week period.
The gang had a reputation for extreme violence and employed Thomas Cashman, the murderer of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, as a hitman. Their downfall began on May 23, 2020, when one of their stash houses in Merseyside was raided and £1 million worth of cocaine stolen.
In the aftermath, Vincent Coggins took the lead in seeking to identify the culprits and recover the money, blackmailing and threatening the family he believed responsible for the robbery.
Extradition and Sentencing
Francis Coggins made his first appearance at a court in Amsterdam to begin extradition proceedings on June 4 this year. He was returned to the UK in late August after consenting to extradition and pleaded guilty to a series of drugs charges in September, including conspiracy to import and supply cocaine.
During mitigation, defence lawyer Sam Blom-Cooper argued that his client fell below Vincent Coggins in the crime group hierarchy and was physically handling drugs in Zandvoort, exposing himself to risk that others avoided.
However, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones rejected this assessment, stating that Francis Coggins was considered joint head of the crime group with his younger brother. Sentencing him, the judge said: "In conclusion, you were directing or organising the buying and or selling of these drugs on a commercial scale. You had substantial links and influence on others in a chain and you had an expectation of a substantial financial advantage."
Francis Coggins, who appeared via video link from HMP Manchester wearing a grey prison-issue sweatshirt and glasses, muttered "thank you" after hearing his 18-year sentence. He was supported in court by a large number of family members.
Vincent Coggins and eight other members of the crime group were arrested in June 2020 as part of Operation SubZero, an investigation by the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit. The gang members received combined sentences totalling more than 150 years in prison.
