A drug dealer's little brother was stabbed in the face outside McDonald's, while his mum's house was petrol bombed after he racked up a £10,000 debt.
Liam Carson was allegedly put to work in the "Curly" and "JJ" county lines heroin and cocaine rings in order to pay off the outstanding sum after coming under threat from those higher up the chain. On one occasion, the 22-year-old's street sales resulted in him and his associates unsuccessfully attempting to hide from the police under a tree.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Thursday, that he was first caught by Operation Ground – a covert Merseyside Police probe into drug supply in the Wirral area, supported by the National Crime Agency. Alaric Walmsley, prosecuting, described how this involved undercover officers making a series of test purchases from dealers during 2021 and, after arranging meetups with members of the "JJ Line", an unsuspecting Carson handed over packages of "low purity" heroin and cocaine on four occasions in October and November that year.
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Then, on August 16 last year, North Wales Police received reports of drug dealing on the Wales Coast Path in the Deeside area. Officers attended and spotted a group of men in dark clothing making off from the scene before hiding underneath a tree.
While they subsequently attempted to flee for a second time, Carson – of Valerian Road in Claughton – and another man were detained. Two SIM cards were found "secreted under the foreskin" of the other male during a strip search, while he also had £500 in cash in his possession.
The defendant meanwhile was carrying around £400 in cash, with a black Nokia mobile discovered in the undergrowth where the gang had been seeking refuge having been used in conjunction with one of the aforementioned SIMs. Flare messages – texts advertising drugs for sale to users – were discovered on the phone, with one reading: "One-off deals, today only.
"One bit £7.50, two for £15, four for £25, eight for £50, 16 for £100. Macca there for deals, get on us."
Carson would find himself in trouble with the law for a third time when he was stopped and searched in January this year. He was in possession of a small amount of cannabis for personal use and a ringing phone at this time.
Further messages relating to the "Curly Line" were discovered on the device. While the persistent offender purported to have "found it", cell siting data showed the mobile had been used in the area of his and his girlfriend's homes – both of which he had given as designated addresses for his electronically-monitored tag following his release on bail in relation to the earlier offences.
Carson – who has a total of six previous convictions for 12 offences – claims that he had amassed a £10,000 drug debt relating to a previous eight-month spell in a young offenders' institute, handed down in February 2019 for possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply. Released in July that year, he found himself "placed under pressure" to return to dealing as a result.
The court was told that this included his mum's home being targeted on three occasions, even being petrol bombed by gangland thugs. Her car was also deliberately rammed after she got out of the vehicle and was walking into her property.
Meanwhile, Carson's 16-year-old brother was said to have been stabbed below the eye outside McDonald's in Birkenhead "just before Christmas" last year. The prosecution however disputed whether these attacks were "committed by those he was working for" or was instead part of a "wider dispute between rival organised crime groups".
Paul Wood, defending, told the court: "We see many cases where a user becomes indebted and addicted and pressures are placed upon them. With the criminal acts carried out upon his family, the defendant has felt pressure.
"He is not a mature individual. He is someone who is naturally going to go to the bottom of the food chain and that is exactly where he was, handing out drugs on a street level basis and using drugs."
Carson admitted supplying heroin and cocaine, two counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin, two charges of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of cannabis. He was jailed for four years and eight months.
Sentencing, Judge Brian Cummings KC said: "I accept you have not yet reached full maturity. I accept you suffer from certain mental health issues.
"I have been very conscious of your young age. If it had not been for your youth, the sentence might have been an awful lot longer."