Drugs kingpin running multi-million pound cocaine empire has operation dismantled by police
A drugs kingpin who ran a multi-million pound cocaine empire has been nailed by audio discussing with his enforcer about giving "a hiding" to a man who owed them a debt.
Peter Humphreys was the mastermind behind the large scale conspiracy which saw between £2.4m to £3m worth of drugs trafficked from Liverpool to Skegness, Lincs. The 43-year-old, seven other men and one woman have now been sentenced for their role in the multi-million pound operation after it was dismantled by police.
The drugs boss was caught after damning audio notes were recovered by cops which captured chilling discussions with co-conspirator Patrick OLliffe. In the footage, OLliffe, 41, can be heard calmly asking Humphreys "What do you want me to do? Do you want me to go and give him a hiding or just get the cash?"
Humphreys replies: "Make sure he's got a fiver (£5,000) and if hasn't got a fiver, belt him anyway and then I'll just give him a belt. Lad, he's owed us money for eight months, if not longer, and being nice doesn't work because he's just not arsed."
OLliffe says: "Yeah sometimes softy softly does work but he's not doing what he's f***ing agreed." Humphreys chuckles and says: ""Yeah softy softly definitely doesn't work with him Paddy." The gang’s downfall began in August 2023 when Ross Thompson, who was later jailed for eight years, and Lucy Moss were stopped with 178 grams of cocaine.
A major police probe found messages between the two indicated Thompson was being supplied cocaine by a man named Zacc Farrell. Moss was a trusted associate of Farrell, acting as the go-between for the two. The messages also indicated that Farrell was getting his reloads from Liverpool.
Lincolnshire Police said a detailed mapping investigation was launched to identify the key players and couriers involved in the organisation. Officers then intercepted a reload of drugs, recovering 429 grams of cocaine from Connor Fisher – with a street value of just over £40,000 - in January last year.
Messages on his phone showed he was making the journey on behalf of Farrell and had met a Cory Bruen in Kirkby, near Liverpool. Bruen handled the Liverpool side of the operation and was working with Humphreys and OLliffe to supply huge amounts of cocaine to multiple contacts.
Humphreys was directing the overall operation, with Bruen holding a drugs line phone, supplying drugs to downstream couriers. OLlifee acted as supplier, courier and enforcer, collecting cash and threatening violence when debts were not paid.
Analysis of a spreadsheet recovered during enforcements confirmed the Liverpool contingent had purchased around £850,000 of cocaine between March 2023 and December last year. Detectives were then able to identify Farrell as having a pivotal role in the operation in Skegness.
He directed the local couriers, including Tom Ashwell, Connor Fisher and Charlie Pamphilon to travel to the Kirkby estate in Liverpool to collect drugs from Bruen. Farrell had purchased about 15 kilograms of cocaine from Humphreys, Bruen, OLlifee between March 2023 and July 2024.
The ninth and final person involved in the operation, Pamphilon, 26, of Stevenage, was given a two-year sentence, suspended for 18 months, at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday (Thurs). Previously five of the gang members pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply a class A drug and the transfer of criminal property.
Humphreys, of Halton, near Widness, Cheshire, was sentenced to 12 years and four months while Bruen, of Kirkby, Liverpool, was caged for 12 years and three months. OLliffe, of Liverpool, was jailed for five years and two months and Lucy Moss, of Skegness, was handed a two-year custodial sentenced, suspended for two years.
She was a broker, arranging prices, knowing when supplies were being reloaded, serving as a go-between for suppliers and couriers Farrell, 32, of Skegness, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine) and the transfer of criminal property and was jailed for 11 years and three months.
Three further gang members pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to supply a class A drug. Fisher, 25, of Boston, Lincs., was sentenced to five years and 10 months while Ashwell, 25, was jailed for six years and three months.
Adams, 41, of Liverpool, was sentenced to two years and five months for acting as a middleman to drop off cash and deal cocaine. Detective Sergeant Adam Petty, of the force's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “This was a large-scale investigation, working across borders with Merseyside Police colleagues.
"We were targeting a conspiracy to supply class A drugs between a Liverpool faction that was trafficking an estimated cocaine supply of between 24kg and 30kg, valued at approximately £2.4 million to £3 million on the street. Of this, the Skegness gang obtained around 15kg, valued at about £1.5 million.
“By intercepting this operation, we’ve not only prevented further quantities of harmful substances from reaching the streets of Lincolnshire, but we’ve also disrupted criminal networks that fuel violence and exploitation on our East Coast and beyond.
“By hitting these networks we are impacting crime rates, gang-related conflicts, and addiction crises all of which, we unfortunately know, destabilises our communities and erodes public safety. With our on-going proactive monitoring and enforcement efforts, we seek to create a sense of safety, and to deter further criminal behaviour.
"We are determined to disrupt these cycles of destructive drug trafficking into our county. We want safer streets and improved community well-being. We’re committed to fostering an environment where people feel protected, businesses thrive, and the East Coast is recognised a safe and welcoming place to be.”