Gang used Royal Mail to deliver up to £2.7million of MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, magic mushrooms, LSD, and ketamine

A Liverpool drug gang used the Royal Mail postal service to send millions of pounds worth of street drugs and prescription medication across the country and abroad.

The criminal gang used a storage unit in a Birkenhead business park to deliver up to £2.7million of MDMA, ecstasy, cocaine, magic mushrooms, LSD, and ketamine.

Step-siblings Benjamin Crane, 35, and Abbey Crane, 24, alongside Kay Davies, 64, Bradley Gene Grey, 43, and Kylie Collins, 36, used the dark web to distribute hundreds of thousands of class A drug pills and prescription tablets, and kilos of powders.

The gang operated ‘like a business’ and used pre-postages labels and shipped orders from a post office in a local convenience store using Royal Mail to deliver the drugs.

Cocaine and ecstasy were found inside the Birkenhead storage unit, and police later seized up to £2.7m worth of drugs.

These included 125,550 ecstasy tablets worth up to £1.3m as well as 8kg of cocaine, 7kg of MDMA powder, 2kg of cocaine, 454g of magic mushrooms, 4kg of LSD and 230 2CB tablets.

Over 320,000 prescription tablets including Tapentadol, Diazepam and Tramadol were also seized by Merseyside Police.

Police found 125,550 ecstasy tablets, 8kg of cocaine, 7kg of MDMA powder, 2kg of cocaine, 454g of magic mushrooms, 4kg of LSD and 230 2CB tablets

Over 320,000 prescription tablets including Tapentadol, Diazepam and Tramadol were also seized

Police had been tracking the gang since 2023 and raided the Birkenhead storage unit on October 18 last year.

Benjamin arrived at the storage facility and gave a false name to police officers.

His step-sister and Kylie were identified on CCTV attending the unit.

All five arrested were charged with conspiracy to supply controlled drugs after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court in November.

On Friday, the gang were sentenced to a combined 44 years in prison.

Benjamin was handed a 14-year sentence and Bradley was given 10-and-a-half years after they both pleaded guilty to 11 counts of conspiracy to control drugs.

Abbey was sentenced to nine years in prison after she was found guilty after trial, while Kylie was handed six years after trial.

Kay, who admitted posting parcels on behalf of Benjamin Crane, was found guilty of five counts of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison.

Benjamin Crane, 35, gave police a fake name when they found him at the Birkenhead storage unit

Bradley Gene Grey, 43, was handed a 10-and-a-half year sentence pleading guilty to 11 counts of conspiracy to control drugs

Abbey Crane,24, was sentenced to nine years in prison after she was found guilty after trial

Kylie was given a six-year sentence after a trial at Liverpool Crown Court

Kay Davies, 64, was found guilty of five counts of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison

Detective Sergeant Ste Mercer said: ‘This was a large-scale drugs enterprise which was being run like a business from a storage unit in Birkenhead.

The gang worked together to source, pack and deliver the drugs across the whole of the UK and internationally, utilising the Dark Web.

‘Suspicions were raised when parcels delivered to the post office were suspected to contain drugs, upon examination hundreds of packages were found to have Class A, B & C drugs inside.

‘We carried out a thorough investigation to identify all those who we believed to be involved in either sourcing, packaging or further distributing the drugs. I am sure they believed as their activity was behind the closed doors of a secure unit that they would not be caught out.

‘I am pleased they are all now behind bars for a significant period of time where they can no longer continue to spread misery through their actions.

‘We know the devastation that drugs cause to families and our communities. Merseyside Police remains relentless in our pursuit of such criminals and ending their drugs trade.

‘I hope this result shows that we are committed in our pursuit of these people who think they are above the law and believe they can evade justice.“We will continue to target criminals by thoroughly examining any evidence and carrying out any necessary searches across Merseyside.’

A Royal Mail spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘We are legally obligated not to open post. However, we will routinely report suspicious items to the relevant authorities for further inspection. We also regularly assist police in the course of their investigations and assist Border Force in their assessment of items that arrive from abroad.’