To the outside world, the "Burns OCG" were ordinary tourists spending their summer in Ibiza.
But their hire cars and campervans were part of a sophisticated plot to blend in with other holidaymakers and hide their criminal activity. The 21 men and women were part of the organised crime group, named by police as the "Burns OCG", who trafficked £1.4m of heroin and cocaine across the UK.
The gang, made up of mostly friends and family, used 40 supply phone lines to distribute the drugs. They operated out of Liverpool, Cheshire, Lancashire and London, and used a sophisticated network to distribute the drugs to Exeter, Devon and Cornwall.
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Some of the key gang members left the UK to run the operation from Ibiza during the summer months. But their operation was uncovered after police obtained a phone which showed links to drug lines operating from Liverpool.
The gang members appeared at Exeter Crown Court this month where they were sentenced for their part in the drugs conspiracy. The network was dismantled after detectives launched an investigation in early 2021 when they identified a group selling Class A drugs in Exeter.
Officers identified four men based in the North West who had leading roles. They went to considerable lengths to protect their criminal activity and prevent police from disrupting the full extent of their operation.
Benjamin Burns, 25, of Homer Road, Prescot, was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison. He was found to have controlled a number of the drugs line phones along with his friend Georgie Keating, 24, Cromford Road, Huyton, who was sentenced to 11 years and five months in prison.
Burns and Keating worked closely with father and son, Thomas Keating, 43, from Huyton, and Christy Keating, 24, Widnes, who were jailed for 10 years and 10 years and five months respectively. They hired vehicles, which cost £25,000, for trips which lasted between two and 15 days.
While in the South West they would travel around and meet up with other members of the group to help set up new lines and move drugs, cash and phones around. One of the methods used to protect the gang’s criminal activity was a "spoofer" SIM card.
Every time it was used to make a phone call, it displayed a different number on the recipient’s handset and couldn’t be called back, so they had separate numbers for customers to use. The aim is to make it difficult for the number to be tracked.
The group paid £700 for a six-month contract and police found it made five trips to the South West at the same time as some of the key conspirators. The gang were meticulous about not crossing contacts and used different phone numbers to communicate among themselves and with their customers.
However, officers found social media messages where members were arranging trips. These included voice notes from Christy Keating to his uncle, James Casey, 45. In one, he told him they had been "booting doors in" and that that he did not want him to "risk getting a 12" with him – referring to a prison sentence. Casey was given a two-year suspended sentence.
Working alongside Casey as a facilitator to the supply was Taylor Burns, 31, from Lancashire. He was jailed for five years and two months for his role which included trips to Torquay with associates. Christopher Mallen, 65, and his son Kevin, 41, both from Huyton, were two of the main couriers for the group, making 26 out of the 33 evidenced runs.
Christopher Mallen made his last trip in March 2022 and was arrested in Barnstaple with £25,000 worth of heroin secreted inside the centre console of his car. He was sentenced to six years in prison.
Over his 18 courier runs, officers found he had been in frequent contact with the four leading conspirators. On his last trip, Kevin Mallen was stopped in June 2022 he was arrested on the M5 entering Devon. In his car was a kilo block of cocaine – with a street value of around £80,000 – hidden in a McDonald’s bag as well as £1,000 in cash. He was sentenced to six years and four months.
Lee Paton, 34, from Kensington, was the third courier and was stopped along with Thomas Keating on the M5 coming into Devon. Officers found heroin worth £68,600 and 16.5kg of amphetamine with a potential street value of between £80,000 and £160,000 in their car.
Paton was sentenced to three years and 10 months for supplying heroin and amphetamine. In total, based on the seizures made and the number of trips evidenced, police say that 15.4kg of heroin and cocaine worth over £1.4 million was supplied.
Jake Myers, 22, from Liverpool, who was sentenced to three years and six months, was one of the drug suppliers for the group. He was arrested while cuckooing a house in Exeter, with one of the drug line phones and cash profits found in his possession.
Officers found a video on his phone when he was arrested in which he is heard to say it was, "just like another trap house, just like another city and some next gang of junkies".
Jamie Marshall, 22, from London, was the other key supplier and was tracked to South Devon. He was operating the "Torbay Drugs Lines" and had almost £10,000 in cash in a car with him. Marshall was sentenced to six years in prison.
Assisting the OCG and laundering its money were Maggie Burns, 21, Homer Road, Prescot, and, Dannielle Marshall, 27, from London. Both were sisters of other members of the group. They were caught on CCTV making regular cash deposits once the proceeds of crime had been returned to Liverpool.
They were given suspended sentences of 18 months and 12 months respectively. The network was widespread with a well-established supply across Exeter, Exmouth, Torbay and South Devon, North Devon and Cornwall.
The day-to-day running over the network across the two counties was managed by eight key people. They included Demelza Trewartha, 48, from Hayle, who given a two year suspended sentence, Richard Morsley, 43, from Torrington, who was sentenced to four years and six months, alongside John Ward, 54, from Dawlish, who received three years.
Morsley made five trips to Liverpool himself to collect drugs and was stopped on his final return trip in May 2022 with £37,000 worth of heroin. They would make trips and meet up with each other to exchange cash and drugs along with Adrian Mulcahy, 36, and Dillon Ballard, 28, both from Exmouth, who were both given suspended sentences of two years.
Mulcahy and Ballard were arrested in Camborne after being tracked by covert surveillance officers. Mulcahy had £2,250 worth of heroin in his pocket and messages in his phone which suggested he was setting up a line in Cornwall.
Also from Exmouth was John O’Neill, 54, who played a key role in facilitating the movement of three "Exmouth Drug Lines", to and from Liverpool, which sent out 13,623 messages in just six months selling heroin and cocaine. He was sentenced to five years and six months in prison.
In Teignmouth was Benjamin Hopkins, 45, and his partner Joanna Buchannan, 49, who were producing cannabis at their home. Buchanan was also assisting the OCG and was given a one year suspended sentence.
Hopkins was given a two-year suspended sentence for acting as a "warehouser". On searching the house officers found nearly £28,000 of cocaine and heroin. The judge noted to the court that a number of the defendants involved in this case were given suspended sentences due to steps they had taken towards rehabilitation.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Sam Smoothy, said: “The level of harm inflicted by this group is significant. It included wholesale trafficking of class A and B drugs throughout the length and breadth of our force, the exploitation of vulnerable people, extortion, violent crime, and knife crime.
“They undermined the law, fostered violence, and posed a threat to the stability of our communities. The unseen harm will undoubtedly include an increase in addiction rates, health issues, social disruption, and an economic burden on our communities.
"They were highly capable placing additional strains on public services. Officers diligently gathered evidence, worked closely with partner agencies, used sophisticated analysis, creative strategies and maintained an adaptability to counter evolving tactics.
“Through meticulous attention to detail, effective co-ordination and communication, the prosecution team have dismantled a serious criminal network, delivering a hugely complex but successful prosecution. They have had a significant impact of drug-related activities within our communities.”
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