Liverpool man hid £17m ketamine inside kitchen worktops in 'largest ever' haul
A Liverpool man caught with £17m worth of ketamine has been sentenced.
Paul Farrelly was caught with ketamine worth £17m hidden inside kitchen worktops in his van on September 16.
The seizure – one of the largest ever in the UK – was made by officers from Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency.
Officers stopped Paul Farrelly, 46, of Redbank Close in Fazakerley, while he was driving his VW Crafter along the East Lancashire Road.
When the officers spoke with Farrelly, they noticed he was visibly nervous. When searching the van, they found 22 large industrial sacks and what appeared to be a stack of kitchen worktops. However, when they opened the sacks they found a white substance inside, which was subsequently identified by forensic analysts as ketamine.
Ketamine is a powerful drug used to tranquilise horses and sometimes administered by medical professionals in carefully controlled treatments. When abused, the drug can cause permanent harm, including severe and painful bladder damage that requires lifelong treatment.
Farrelly was arrested and taken into custody to be questioned by investigators from Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership – a joint NCA and Merseyside Police team.
The van was taken away for further examination by specialist investigators, as a result of which it was discovered that the stack of worktops had been hollowed out to conceal a further 13 sacks of ketamine.
In total, officers recovered 875kg of the drug from the van, with a total estimated street value of £17m.
Officers subsequently charged Farrelly with possession of Class B controlled drugs with intent to supply. He pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court today and was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.
DCI Tony Roberts of the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership, said: “When officers pulled over Farrelly’s van, they made one of the largest seizures of ketamine ever in the UK. Thanks to the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership, Farrelly’s drugs will never make it into the hands of vulnerable users.
“Many young drug abusers consider ketamine to be a cheap party drug but they’re paying a high price in terms of the sometimes life-long mental and physical damage the drug causes.
“Money-hungry organised criminals who exploit the demand for ketamine don’t care about the harm their drugs inflict, but Farrelly is now facing the consequences of his actions.
“We’re determined to keep ketamine off our streets and away from vulnerable people.”