Major Crime Gang Busted in Merseyside
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has smashed a dangerous organised crime group based in Merseyside. The gang was run by Terence Earle, 49, from St Helens, who used the encrypted messaging platform EncroChat to coordinate their illegal operations.
Huge Drug Haul Worth Over £1 Million Seized
In December 2020, Lancashire Police, acting on NCA intelligence, seized more than 560 kilos of alpha-phenylacetoacetamide (APAA) – a key chemical to produce amphetamine. The haul, supplied by gang member Stephen Singleton, 36, from Liverpool, had the potential to produce £1.1 million worth of drugs at a lab in Scotland.
The chemicals were hidden in a lorry loaded from a warehouse near a caravan park in Weeton, Lancashire, under orders from Stanley Feerick, 68.
Further Arrests and Drug Busts on M6
A month earlier, Feerick was caught on the M6 carrying 2.9 kilos of heroin worth £300,000, plus £20,000 in cash. A search of his home uncovered another £9,370 in cash. NCA investigations revealed Earle also trafficked heroin and cocaine between Scotland and Merseyside with the help of Lee Baxter, 48, from Huyton, Liverpool.
Justice Served: Heavy Sentences Handed Down
- All gang members were arrested by the NCA in March 2021.
- Earle and Baxter pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court in October 2023.
- Feerick switched to a guilty plea on his trial day.
- Stephen King, 49, from Dumbarton, Scotland, was found guilty after an eight-day trial in December last year.
- Singleton pleaded guilty in February 2024.
On 18 April 2024, sentencing passed:
- Terence Earle: 16½ years in prison
- Stephen Singleton: 3 years 4 months
- Lee Baxter: 22 months, suspended for 18 months
- Stephen King: 18 months, suspended for 18 months
- Stanley Feerick’s sentencing scheduled for 3 May
The NCA’s decisive action has put a stop to a major drug network operating across Northern England and Scotland.
