TONNE OF CLASS A DRUGS WAS SHIPPED VIA N.WALES DEPOT

A DRUGS gang boss shipped at least a tonne of class A drugs from Europe to the UK via a UPS depot in North Wales.

- By PATRICK EDRICH and DAVID POWELL

Francis Coggins, who was co-leader of an organised crime group (OCG) with his younger brother Vincent, was based in the Dutch town of Zandvoort.

‘There he met, negotiated and purchased class A drugs at source with international suppliers and enabled the smooth passage of shipments into the UK.

Francis Coggins, 60, of The Spinney in Stockbridge Village, sent cocaine and heroin from mainland Europe to North Wales using a “considered and sophisticated system’, where the drugs were packaged and placed into parcels which would have UPS waybills attached.

‘These packages were sent using genuine account numbers, predominately for clothing company G-Star Raw, with the waybill marked that the receiver would pay the costs of shipping, reports the Liverpool ECHO.

‘The parcels were then addressed to real homes in the area covered by UPS's Deeside depot in North Wales, but were intercepted by a corrupt worker who then passed the drugs onto couriers to be distributed to other UK gangs.

In about a year, Francis Coggins imported over a tonne of class A drugs with a minimum wholesale value of £16m.

However, the crime group - the Huyton Firm - was torn apart in June 2020 when nine gang members, including Vincent Coggins, were arrested and caged after law enforcement infiltrated the encrypted Encro-Chat messaging platform.

Francis Coggins remained in mainland Europe until he was arrested by Dutch police in June this year for being drunk and disorderly.

He was extradited after his identity was revealed.

Alex Langhorn, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday: “The OCG which were engaged in sourcing, storing and supplying wholesale, multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine and diamorphine, more commonly known as heroin.

“They sold to people locally on Merseyside, across the country, and up to Scotland”