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February in Truro Crown Court was largely dominated by one trial, that of three people accused over the incident outside a Bodmin nightclub that left one man dead and several others injured. The case has been heard over several weeks, culminating in the jury going out to consider its verdict on two of three accused this week.
But there were other cases of note, most well-known of which was that of the trio jailed for a massive 43 years in total for a drugs rivalry shooting and hammer attack at a Redruth flat. Of course there were other notable cases that ended in jail sentences.
Here we round up all those we saw sent behind bars from the dock at the court in Truro. The rest range from a paedophile and stalker to a county lines drugs gang that used Royal Mail.
Below are the cases as we reported them in full.
Shooting and hammer attack
Three men were jailed for more than 43 years following a frenzied hammer and gun attack in Cornwall. Paul Amoah, 39 of Hawthorn Close, Redruth, was found guilty of attempted murder, wounding with intent, and aggravated burglary. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Lee Mitchell, 28 of Edmond Road, Redruth, was found guilty of two counts of wounding with intent and aggravated burglary and was sentenced to nine years in prison. Gavin Smale, 44 of Fore Street also in Redruth, was found guilty of unlawful wounding and aggravated burglary and was sentenced to seven years in prison.
All three men had been seen on CCTV travelling to the property in a car. Footage was played to the court which showed Smale standing on the road while both Amoah and Mitchell walked towards the property. Eight minutes later, Amoah, Mitchell, and Smale were seen scattering away from the house leaving two men seriously injured after having been shot and bludgeoned.
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The victims, Jaroslavas Gavorskis and Terry Madden, who were known to the offenders, all resided in the property and had been at home when Amoah and Mitchell knocked on the back door. One of the occupants in the house could see a figure at the back door holding a gun and raised the alarm to the other occupants just as Amoah and Mitchell started breaking down the back door.
Once inside, Amoah and Mitchell, who were wearing balaclavas, set about their violent attack with Amoah shooting one of the victims in the back as he tried to flee. Mitchell chased down another victim as he ran upstairs by hitting him repeatedly over the head with a hammer. All the while Smale was outside acting as a lookout.
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Upon hearing the commotion, a third victim barricaded himself in his room upstairs but sustained a cut to the head after one of the offender’s tried to force his way into his room. The men then burgled the house taking hundreds of pounds and one of the victim’s passports.
Police were alerted by the ambulance service with reports that a man had been shot in the back. Armed response officers were deployed to the scene and a manhunt was underway.
Previous coverage:
Accused blames alleged accomplices for shooting and hammer attack
Hammer attack victim speaks of moment housemate was shot
Man shot in back and another hit with hammer during violent Redruth break-in, court told
As part of the investigation, Devon and Cornwall Police trawled through extensive CCTV footage and were able to close the net on the suspects. Smale was located and arrested in a field as he attempted to flee an address on Harmony Close, Redruth. Amoah was found a short time after hiding under a sofa at an address on Cardew Close. Mitchell was arrested the next day.
All were taken into custody, charged and remanded. Following searches inside the property on Harmony Close, a handgun was found wrapped in cloth in a children’s toy basket. DNA evidence on the gun proved to be Amoah’s. A hammer left behind at the crime scene was found to have Mitchell’s DNA evidence on it along with the victim’s blood.
Following the shooting, the gunshot victim was rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries and had to undergo multiple operations and blood transfusions. The bullet, which is still lodged in the victim’s chest, had missed his heart by just 2mm. The second victim sustained a laceration to his head and arms, which were not life-threatening as a result of the hammer attack.
During a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court today (Monday, March 3) Mr Gavorskis said in a victim impact statement how he had been unable to work since the attack because of the fear and anxiety this has caused him. He said the bullet he received had shattered inside his body and not all fragments had been removed, being so close to his heart, causing him considerable pain.
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He said: “I have panic attacks. I am struggling to sleep. I feel vulnerable and fear what could happen in the future. I have had to give up work. I’m unable even to go to the job centre to find jobs. I want to go back to work but I just shut down and hide away from people when I would like to get my life back on track.”
Mr Madden said the hammer injuries he had received to the head had left him with sleeping difficulties, with constant migraines and feeling like a prisoner in his own home. In his own victim impact statement he said: “I feel unsafe. What happened will haunt me for the rest of my life. My head is not the same shape it was. I’m in constant pain. Every time I cut my hair I’m reminded of what these people have done to me.”
In mitigation for Mitchell it was heard that he still refused to accept his involvement in the vicious attack. He had been living with his long term partner at the time with whom he has three children. His barrister told the court that Mitchell was working in a kitchen at the time and had hoped to join the British Army, having passed the first aptitude tests for it, but because of the death of his grandmother he was unable to start when he should and got mixed up with his co-defendants instead.
His solicitor said his good character had been exemplified by his actions when, before the incident, he saved a child from a car after it rolled on its roof during a crash as he drove behind it. He added that sending him to prison will mean the responsibility of raising the children will now fall solely on his partner and he will miss them growing up, adding: “While in custody he has signed up and completed various courses including an emergency first aid course and works in the workshop as a leading cleaner. He has lost so much as a result of the stupidity of his actions and will have lost key years in bringing up his children, and lost career opportunities.”
In defence of Smale it was heard that he had been a man of good character and got involved in class A drugs but certainly was not in charge that day. His solicitor added: “He was desperate and weak and lacked the courage to resist.”
Sentencing the three men to a total of more than 43 years in prison, Judge Simon Carr said Mitchell and Amoah had both been prepared to inflict serious harm on their victims and both victims had suffered serious physical and psychological harm as a result of the violent attack, the ramifications of which were still being felt today.
He said: “All involved in the drug trade whether as users or suppliers know that raiding other drug dealers has many benefits in that there will be cash and drugs at the premises. There is also the knowledge that those involved in the drug trade will be reluctant to involve the authorities.
“Someone suggested the address because it was your suppliers and how little threat they posed. So you all agreed to go to the premises. Mr Smale, you knocked on the door to gain entry as someone who had been there before. You were aware that your co-defendants were armed. Mr Amoah and Mr Mitchell, you were prepared to use force, including deadly force. Your victims must have been terrified. They responded by trying to fire a broken air rifle at you which caused you, Mr Amoah, to fire into the back of a fleeing individual. You intended to kill that person.
“The injuries you caused to your victims have been significant, the psychological and physical ramifications of which are still being felt today.”
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After the hearing Detective Inspector Dave Egan, the senior investigating officer in this case, said: “Amoah kept a dangerous firearm at his home without fear. He brazenly took it out on the streets and into another person’s home with the intent on causing serious harm to someone who, when faced with such a weapon, had no choice but to flee resulting in him to be shot in the back as he did so.
“The victim suffered extremely serious, life-threatening injuries, had to go through multiple operations and is extremely lucky to be alive today. He avoided being killed by a couple of millimetres. While firearms offences are extremely rare in this county, sadly we see all too often people losing their lives or being seriously injured through drug-related violence.”
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He added: “My officers worked tirelessly on this investigation to ensure the individuals responsible were brought to justice. I would like to thank them for their hard work and diligence in this case which shows how devastating the consequences of gun crime can be, not only on victims and their families but also the wider community.
“It should also send a message that if you arm yourself with any kind of a weapon, the chances are you will end up behind bars, seriously or fatally hurting someone, or getting seriously hurt yourself. It really isn’t worth the risk.”
Superintendence Ian Thompson, police commander of west Cornwall, said: “Fortunately, offences of this type and seriousness are extremely rare in Cornwall, but when they do occur this understandably causes significant concern in the local community.
“The police response to this incident was swift and professional with the suspects identified and arrested quickly. In the days and weeks that followed, local officers provided high visibility patrols to reassure the community whilst detectives pursued their investigation.
“We are extremely grateful for the support and cooperation we received from the community and our partners who pulled together and assisted police with their enquiries. We value and depend on the support of our communities to assist us in the fight against crime and we continue to encourage the public to report issues to us so we can improve our intelligence and proactively target criminals.”
If you have any information or concerns about someone carrying a weapon, please report it to Devon & Cornwall Police online here, or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively you can report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Your information could help save a life.
Sick paedophile
A paedophile who was jailed for grooming an “extremely vulnerable” child before having sex with her reoffended “almost immediately” after he was released from prison. Jason Thomas, 42, was jailed in 2021 after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual activity with a child and engaging in sexual communication with a child.
He was given a five-year prison sentence, of which he served half, and when he was released in 2023 he had to abide by a sexual harm prevention order which banned him from downloading certain apps, using certain websites and trying to conceal his identity online, among other things.
But Thomas, of Pendeen, breached the order 12 times and found himself back before Judge Simon Carr at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty before magistrates.
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Prosecuting, Katie Churcher said: “The background to that order being that it was imposed for a period of ten years following his conviction in 2021 with two counts of sexual interaction with a child. Following his release from custody, after he served what had been half of what was a five-year sentence, he was visited in Bridgewater by DC Allen and given another copy of the prevention order and handed over his phone.
“At that time they saw that the application Snapchat was on there. He was told the main feature of Snapchat is auto-deletion so was told he couldn’t have that on the phone and it was deleted and he was reminded he needed permission to set up social media accounts.
“He was visited again unannounced on Jan 15 and handed over his phone again. He volunteered he had been using Whatsapp and said he’d been using Snapchat but had deleted it.
“My Google Activity was looked at to check internet history, there were searches for pornography and pornographic videos, it looked as though he had been deleting his internet history, and he had been using social media accounts that had been deleted including Tinder, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, various other live streaming apps, and private browsing applications.
“There was also an uninstalled VPN which conceals online IP addresses. It had been installed and deinstalled. Lastly they found his email account had been accessed, used and deleted. He was arrested for those breaches and interviewed on Jan 15. In essence, he made admission and when he was spoken to he said he had been doing things he shouldn’t do.”
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Robin Smith, for Thomas’ defence, said: “This man is very realistic about his position and his fate, perhaps the best mitigating factor is that he was extremely frank and candid with the police from the moment of arrest. Having spoken to him face to face he remains realistic and he appreciates he has some big problems to deal with.
“He is now in a state where he can accept the help given to him.”
Sentencing, Judge Carr acknowledged Thomas’ early plea and gave him full credit and added that the defendant’s remorse seemed genuine. He said: “The circumstances of your offending is extremely troubling. Inevitably a sexual harm prevention order was made for a substantial period of time.
“After serving your sentence you were released on licence. It was clear you started offending almost immediately after you were released. What was found on the phone… is that you had set up a number of accounts and done everything possible to hide your identity. You put on devices to clear your history. You accessed sites that you would immediately delete like Snapchat.
“This is a serious breach of a sexual harm prevention order and you must have known so at the time. You have expressed remorse but you still present a high risk to children and I suspect you will do for a very long time.”
Judge Carr sentenced Thomas to two 2.5-year sentences, which will run concurrently, giving him a total sentence of 2.5 years imprisonment. He will be eligible for parole after serving half the term.
Previously, we reported how Thomas groomed a vulnerable child before having sex with her. He later told the girl that he’d be going to prison but the feeling of the encounter was “the best feeling he’d ever had”.
Vile stalker
Two women’s lives became a living nightmare when a vile stalker became infatuated with them and inflicted months of distressing abuse upon them and their families, a court heard.
Andrew May’s reign of terror was so bad that one of his victims was forced to move home so he could no longer find her. The 52-year-old North Parade in Camborne, spent a year between October 2022 and October 2023 stalking one his victims at or near her home, shouting foul abuse and causing significant distress.
Between August 2019 and October 2023, May also stalked a second woman and caused her to fear that violence would be used against her. On Friday, February 23 at Truro Crown Court, May pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking involving serious alarm and distress, over the course of 21 months and 16 months respectively. He also admitted cultivation of cannabis.
Prosecutor Michael Brown said that in the case of his first victim, May’s first victim was forced to install CCTV surveillance equipment at her home after his abusive stalking became so bad including checking up on her wherever she went, and damaging some of her property and that of her family.
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With regards to his second victim, Mr Brown told the court that May’s became totally infatuated with her and would turn up at her house several times a day, leaving gifts at her home and even breaking in to steal stuff from inside her house. Mr Brown said that May taunted his victim by stalking around her house for hours and then apologised for masturbating on her doorstep.
The court heard that the situation became so bad that his victim had to resort to pretend not to be at home and was even forced to move address so his constant harassment would stop. Ramsay Quaife, defending, said May had fallen into a hole which got worse through his drug use.
Sentencing May to a total of six years in prison, Judge Simon Carr said May’s actions had been truly “chilling”. He also issued a restraining without time limit, preventing May from contacting either woman.
Knife rampage teen
An out-of-control teenager who went on a crime spree that included robbery, attacks on police officers and threats to stab members of the public is now behind bars. Ryan Williams, 19, was sentenced to four years in a young offenders’ facility after admitting a litany of offences.
Williams most recently resided in Penzance but all of the offences took place in Camborne, where he was living at the time, between November 2023 and the end of January 2024. When he appeared at Truro Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker, a racially aggravated harassment offence, robbery, two attempted robberies, criminal damage, further public order offences and possession of Class A drugs.
On November 23, 2023, Williams was arrested in Camborne town centre by plain clothes officers on a separate matter and, as he was arrested, he kicked an officer in the groin. He continued to be abusive and resistant and made racial slurs at another officer. When Williams was searched at the station Class A drugs were found in his possession.
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Williams, on December 27, 2023, threatened two people at a property in Camborne with a large machete-type knife in an attempted robbery. He left empty handed.
Then, on January 2, 2024, Williams attended a business in Camborne at approximately 9.30am. He demanded money and threatened to stab a staff member, telling him he’d be waiting for him outside.
Williams then proceeded to be verbally abusive and threatened to stab an intervening security staff member. A short while later he returned to the business and continued to shout abuse and make threats to staff inside.
Later, on January 6, Williams took part in a planned street robbery where he met someone who was selling an Xbox on Facebook. Once he met the seller he pushed her over, in the presence of her young son, and grabbed the Xbox and then ran away.
Masked home raiders
A man who was involved in a knife-point burglary where two people were wounded has been jailed. Three masked men, dressed all in black, entered a premises in Bodmin and assaulted people inside, during the incident on August 24, 2023.
A woman was in her hallway when the three men entered her property through the back door and went straight upstairs into one of the bedrooms. She followed them upstairs and as she tried to intervene in an attack on her son, they ended on the landing where she sustained a cut to her hand.
Demands for money were made before the suspects ran out the back door. Approximately £500 was missing from a drawer. The woman’s son recalled demands being made for money whilst a knife was held to him and £200-£300 taken from his wallet. The son sustained cuts to the left arm and chest area.
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Shortly after, police attended an address in Bodmin and arrested Jack Nottle. His property was searched and clothing, trainers, a wallet containing money and phone were seized. Officers also found a large Rambo-style knife on top of a fuse box.
While swabs were being taken in his cell Nottle asked “am I the only one that’s been arrested?” The other two suspects were never identified. Forensics on his clothes and the knife led to the guilty plea being entered.
Nottle, 20, of Hampstead Terrace, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court on Friday, February 23, to four-and-a-half years in a young offenders’ institution after pleading guilty to aggravated burglary.
Following the sentence, Detective Sergeant Northcott from the CID at Bodmin Police Station, said: “In recent times, Bodmin has seen its share of crime where offenders carry knives in order to instil fear on others or inflict serious harm. Those involved in this aggravated burglary have entered a family home with the intention of causing harm to those inside whilst armed with a knife.
“This is not acceptable and will not only have affected the victims but also the wider community. The actions of police officers attending this incident allowed for key evidence to be obtained to support this investigation including the recovery of a knife from circulation that the offenders had no lawful or logical reason to possess.
“In cases such as this, it is important for victims and witnesses to come forward and I commend those involved in this case for their commitment to this investigation. The sentencing in this case should act as a deterrent to those choosing to carry knives and also provide some reassurance to the community that people carrying knives will be pursued by police and that the courts will hand down immediate custodial sentences to those found guilty.
“Should people have information about individuals that carry knives, the information can be shared by accessing the Devon and Cornwall Police website.”
Drunken menace
A drunken menace has been jailed for punching and kicking a man who tried to help her during a late night row. Elisha Hart, 27, forced her way into the man’s property and attacked him.
Hart, from the St Austell area, appeared at Truro Crown Court for sentence having pleaded guilty to assault and breach of a criminal behaviour order.
Prosecuting the case, Ed Bailey told the court how after midnight on January 3, the victim of the assault, Mr Richards, was asleep at his home in St Austell. He was woken by the sound of an argument from the next door property.
Mr Richards went outside and saw Hart and told her it was late and she should go away and come back another time. Hart said that she’d been ripped off by the occupant of the property and that she had her clothes and tobacco. The occupant threw the clothes out of the window and Hart started banging on the window.
Hart said to Mr Richards, “what’s it to do with you?” as she held a bottle of wine. Hart pushed Mr Richards backwards and he told her there was no need and she should leave. Hart pushed Mr Richards once again and elbowed another male trying to intervene.
Mr Richards noticed Hart had blood on her so went into his address to get a wet wipe. Mr Bailey described how Hart followed him in and locked the door. He asked her what she was doing and tried to bundle her out but during the altercation Hart punched him twice in the face. Mr Richards managed to get the door open but lost balance and fell to the floor in the hallway, at which point Hart kicked him to the nose.
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The court heard how Hart has 23 previous convictions for 47 offences and is subject to a criminal behaviour order preventing her from causing drunken trouble in public.
Representing Hart, Martin Pearce said that Hart “presents as very different” since being remanded and subsequently sobering up. He said: “She is an alcoholic and suffers dreadfully with alcoholism. In prison she dries up and becomes a better person.”
Mr Pearce said that when Hart was released from her last period of incarceration, her mum wouldn’t take her back in so she fell back in with the wrong crowd and started drinking again.
Sentencing Hart, Recorder Richard Stead said: “You have got to change this cycle. The victim in this case was an ordinary member of public trying to help you.”
Noting Hart’s genuine remorse, Recorder Stead jailed her for 12 months.
County lines gang that sent drugs and cash by post
A gang of county lines dealers who posted almost 50kg of Class A drugs to Cornwall from Liverpool using the post have been jailed for a total of 47 years.
Shaun Antony Quinn, 37, of Greenhill Road, Allerton, Merseyside, Daniel Bridson, 46, Round Hey, Stockbridge Village also in Merseyside, Daniel Stanton, 34, of Finch Meadow Close, Fazakerley near Liverpool as well as Simon John Mitchell, 34, of Lower Fore Street, Saltash and John Arnaud, 52, a postman from Wentworth Way also in Saltash all faced charges of supplying heroin. Quinn and Bridson also faced a separate charge relating to the supply of cocaine between August 2021 and July 2023.
All five were arrested last July as part of a joint operation between Devon and Cornwall Police and Merseyside Police into drug trafficking.
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The two forces executed a number of warrants as part of a joint investigation into county lines drug supply. The police probe, codenamed Operation Modular, was launched by Merseyside Police’s specialist county lines unit, Project Medusa, to tackle drug dealing and child criminal exploitation.
During a sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court on March 1, it was heard that some 47kg of heroin was posted from the Liverpool area to Cornwall and Devon in recorded delivery parcels using the Royal Mail, while 100 packages containing cash were sent back to Liverpool again using the Royal Mail. The court was told the drugs were estimated to have a street value of between £1m and £2m. Devon and Cornwall Police put the value at £4m being posted back to Merseyside.
The court heard how police launched an investigation when they were alerted to goings on at Mitchell’s address with parcels being sent to him in the Plymouth area as well as Kingsbridge, Salcombe, Callington, Looe and later Saltash.
Further investigations led the force to link Mitchell and Arnaud to addresses in Merseyside which eventually led to police raids on properties in the area.
Jason Beal, prosecuting, told the court that prior to the warrants being carried out, officers from the two forces had been gathering intelligence and information about the group’s activities. This included capturing them on CCTV posting parcels and monitoring where these were being sent to.
As police forced entry on the property in Liverpool where Stanton and Quinn were present, they ran out the back door and threw items over the fence in an attempt to discard them. This was captured by police on camera and the items were able to be recovered, including approximately 1kg of heroin and a parcel containing a large quantity of cash.
Clothing, drugs, cash and other paraphernalia was also found at the other addresses that were searched, further linking the group to the activities and to each other. A hydraulic press was also recovered which had been used to package up the drugs.
Sentencing the five men to almost 50 years in prison, Judge Simon Carr said the heroin and cocaine posted to Cornwall would have caused enormous misery in the county. He said the manner with which the Class A drug transited from one end of the country to the other was startlingly simple – by post.
The court heard how the use of the Royal Mail avoided having to rely on couriers travelling by road or rail and therefore minimised the risk of arrests in transit.
Judge Carr said this had been a “substantial conspiracy to supply Class A drugs into Cornwall” which involved large packages of drugs coming down from Liverpool to Cornwall and packages of money travelling the other way, adding that it must have been part of a much larger conspiracy with several layers above the defendants.
He added: “It was a startlingly simple use of the Royal Mail as it avoided the needs to move the drugs by road or rail and avoided the risks of being stopped. The misery these drugs would have caused in Cornwall cannot be underestimated.”
Judge Carr said Quinn had played a leading role in the conspiracy albeit at the bottom end of the leading role scale. He said Mitchell’s role had also been equally significant since the police investigation had started with him and he must have been involved from the start. He said the other three had played slightly less significant roles with Bridson and Arnaud being at the bottom of the food chain.
In Quinn’s defence it was heard that his role had not been as significant as claimed as he had only joined the conspiracy half way through, and he was just ‘the cut out’ or middle man between those who gave him messages higher up the food chain in Liverpool and those in Cornwall. His solicitor said he had been involved because of gambling habit which Judge Carr said was not a habit but a known way for drug dealers to launder drug money.
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His defence added: “He was just a mid level operative trying to pay off his brother’s drug debt. It is unusual for people in leading roles to have drugs in their own homes as it is the sort of risk those in leading roles try to avoid.”
Stanton’s solicitor also said his role had been limited to low level stuff while Bridston’s solicitor told the court: “This is not his world. He was asked to launder money through is account and received payment for it. Then he was offered £100 for every parcel he would handle. He was living with his mother at the time and thought it was not bad money for not much work. He never received huge rewards from his involvement. He’s not someone who has accumulated vast wealth. he just made some misguided decisions.”
In the defence of Arnaud it was heard that he was employed as a postman at the time and was approached by his co-accused and became involved to finance a drug addiction.
Quinn was sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison, Mitchell was banged up for 10 years while Stanton received a nine-year jail sentence and Bridston and Arnaud each received eight years.
After the hearing Detective Chief Inspector Ian Jolliff, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said: “Operation Modular was a joint operation with Merseyside Police, led by the Cornwall proactive team to tackle drug supply within east Cornwall. This was a lengthy investigation which concluded with a day of action on Thursday 6th July 2023, where in excess of 50 colleagues from both forces combined to carry out simultaneous search warrants in Cornwall and Liverpool.
“This operation has disrupted very significant amounts of class A drugs from arriving into our communities and I’m grateful for the collaboration between both forces to combat this organised crime group. The sentences imposed reflect the seriousness of their criminality and should assist in discouraging others from conducting similar activity.”
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Detective Sergeant Gerard Farley, from Merseyside Police, added: “Officers from Project Medusa – Merseyside’s initiative to tackle county lines drug dealing and criminal exploitation, continue to work alongside colleagues from Devon and Cornwall to close county lines and safeguard vulnerable individuals from the grip of toxic gangs.
“Today’s sentencing shows the success of working together with other forces to take suspected county lines offenders off our streets. Our work to catch these criminals and bring them to justice continues on a daily basis and I would ask anyone who has information about this kind of activity to come forward so action can be taken.”
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