A musician with a record deal has left his promising career in tatters after "getting busy and making money" in the ketamine trade.
Police uncovered nearly £40,000 of drugs when they raided Daniel O'Neill's flat, with he and co-conspirator Brady Tierney having secretly plotted to "undercut" their underworld rivals.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday afternoon that Merseyside Police executed a search warrant at O'Neill's apartment on Alexandra Road in Waterloo at around 1.15pm on November 8 last year. Jonathan Rogers, prosecuting, said that the 31-year-old was in the bedroom with his mobile phone in his hand while Tierney was present in the kitchen.
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It was in the kitchen that officers discovered nearly 1kg of ketamine, class B drugs with a street value of up to £38,500, alongside a set of scales and other paraphernalia. Both men were arrested but refused to "explain what they were doing in the flat or whose flat it was".
When their phones were examined, messages were found "clearly relating to drugs" – including texts between the two which referred to "getting busy and making money", funds which they would split evenly. O'Neill and Tierney, of Oxton Road in Walton, also spoke of plans to "undercut everyone in Warrington" and "recruiting Warrington lads" to work within their operation.
The former, a DJ who the court heard has a record deal and a university degree in audio engineering, has a total of 14 previous convictions for 25 offences. Simon Christie, defending, said the dad-of-three had endured an "appalling childhood" and suffered the "traumatic death of his partner" – while his arrest had been a "wake up call".
He added: "Everything was going in the right direction. It is a total disaster for him that he got involved and has effectively removed his liberty.
"There is a great deal of good to be said on behalf of Daniel O'Neill, he has achieved very significant things. Those people who know him find there is another side."
Tierney, 36, had previously amassed 16 convictions for 28 offences. Entries on his criminal record include possession of class B drugs with intent to supply in 2019 and possession of A drugs with intent to supply, which saw him jailed for 22 months in 2021.
Callum Ross, defending, told the court that the father to a six-year-old daughter had been released from prison in April 2022 and began working as a window cleaner. But Tierney then accrued a drug debt from his addiction to ketamine, which resurfaced after his grandma was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Mr Ross said: "He accepts now that he was misusing the substance as a coping mechanism to block out the difficulties he was having in coming to terms with his grandmother's ill health. He knows only he himself is to blame and plans to use his time in custody wisely."
O'Neill admitted being concerned in the supply of ketamine while Tierney, who appeared via video link to HMP Altcourse, pleaded guilty to possession of ketamine with intent to supply and possession of cocaine. Both were jailed for 30 months.
Sentencing, Recorder Nicola Daley said: "The conversations are consistent with you being involved in a large scale supply business. This is a case which is so serious that only immediate sentences of imprisonment can be justified."
To O'Neill, the judge said: "I hope for your benefit and that of your daughter that you are serious about wanting to put your life back on track – you owe that to your daughter, if nobody else. You had a career ahead of you and you chose to allow drugs to take over."
Recorder Daley Added that Tierney had "begun to take positive steps" while on remand in custody.
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