EMPIRE CRUSHED Crackdown on ‘Scouse Dave’ Drug Empire: 17 Gangsters Jailed for 91 Years

Seventeen members of a sophisticated organised crime network that supplied crack and heroin between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth have now been sentenced to a combined total of 91 years in prison, with four gang members ordered to pay back £4million of their ill-gotten gains.

The Siner Organised Crime Group (OCG), which was overseen by brothers Anthony and Brian Siner, marketed the drugs under the brand name ‘Scouse Dave’.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Northern Area Serious & Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) led the investigation into the County Lines drugs supply network, with the support of Merseyside Police and Devon & Cornwall Police, resulting in the operation being dismantled from the ground up.

The Sentencing

On Friday 12 December this year, 39-year-old Danny Venning, of Beatrice Avenue, Lipson, Plymouth, became the last defendant to be sentenced. He was jailed for 6 years and 9 months at Portsmouth Crown Court. This brings to a close the investigation into the supply of the drugs – which were branded ‘little packets of human misery’ by a Crown Court judge.

The following individuals were sentenced earlier this year:

• Anthony Siner, aged 38, of Monterey Road, Liverpool pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for 17 years and 7 months.
• Brian Siner, aged 42, of Clint Way, Liverpool pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for 15 years and 9 months.
• Gareth Roberts, aged 44, of York Road in Southend-on-Sea, Essex – pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for 6 years and 9 months. Roberts acted as a courier for the operation, collecting cash and delivering drugs to Gosport and Plymouth.
• Lee Illingworth, aged 40, of no fixed abode, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, having already spent 13 months in prison awaiting sentence. He was also ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
• Adam Hughes, aged 39, of Speedwell Lane in Heathfield, East Sussex, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for 8 and a half years. Hughes was an operational manager who had a significant role in the conspiracy.
• Gary Cranney, aged 41, of Eldonian Way in Liverpool, who has pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for 7 years. Cranney was also an operational manager working under the Siners.
• Demi Hannon, aged 28, of Gorst Street, Liverpool, who has pleaded guilty to participation in the criminal activities of an Organised Crime Group, was given a two year Community Order, comprising 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and 150 hours unpaid work.
• Lee Richardson, aged 27, previously of Blackhorse Lane, Liverpool, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs was jailed for 9 years.
• Max Pike, aged 29, of Little Chilworth, Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for five years and 7 months.
• Clayton Donnelly, aged 22, of Sunbeam Way, Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for 4 and a half years.
• Donna Yuen, aged 49, of Davenport Close, Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs was handed a 22 month sentence, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days, and 60 hours unpaid work.
• Paul Naughton, aged 31, of no fixed abode, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for six years.
• Brett Coe-Quainton, aged 26, of Gale Moor Avenue in Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for five years.
• Kevin Wealthal, aged 58, of Little Chilworth in Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years, and was also made subject to a tagged curfew.
• Christopher Crewe, aged 40, of no fixed abode, was handed a 12 month Community Order, comprising a 6 month Drug Rehabilitation Requirement, and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.
• Sean Harland, aged 44, of Miller Drive in Fareham, was handed an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years, having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Restricted lifestyle

The Siner Brothers have since also been made subject to Serious Crime Prevention Orders which impose a number of restrictions on their movements and activity when they leave prison.

They have both been barred from owning more than two mobile phones, and more than one SIM card, computer and landline phone. They are restricted from carrying more than £500 in cash on their person, and have been banned from entering Fareham, Gosport and Plymouth.

Anthony’s order also carries further restrictions – he must notify police of any vehicle he owns, possesses or even gets in as a passenger.

The Siners and their two operational managers – Adam Hughes and Gary Cranney – have between them been ordered to pay back almost £4million as part of a Confiscation Order. Specifically, Anthony must pay back £1.1million, Brian £535,000, Hughes £1million, and Cranney £1.3million.

The Siners have each paid back a mere £1 each. However, any assets they own or accrue in future will be seized until the benefit figure is paid off.

The Investigation

Over the course of the investigation, 4kg of drugs and more than £30,000 in cash were physically seized by police, along with a number of weapons.

Between 1 January 2022 and 28 March 2023, the network sold at least 25kg of crack cocaine and heroin in Gosport, and approximately 9.6kg of crack and heroin in Plymouth.

By targeting suppliers operating in Gosport, police were able to work their way up the chain of command to identify couriers, operational managers and ultimately two heads of the Organised Crime Group (OCG) – brothers Anthony and Brian Siner.

Anthony oversaw the Siner OCG, running heroin and crack cocaine through Gosport, while Brian controlled the line operating in Plymouth, Devon, from his prison cell where he was coming to the end of a 14 year sentence for previous drugs supply offences in Liverpool.

The County Line – which marketed itself as a brand known as the ‘Scouse Dave’ line – had been embedded in Gosport for a number of years, with local police officers conducting regular disruption and intervention work to target distributors and remove drugs from the supply chain.

As a result of this work, the Constabulary identified a ‘Scouse Presence’ in Gosport – namely operational members of the Siner OCG making sure dealing went ahead and that the Scouse Dave presence was felt effectively in the area. These OCG members also took cash back to Liverpool when they returned to the city.

The whole operation ran like a business – people worked and were paid a wage, before going home to see their families.

Police were able to establish that couriers working for the OCG would either bring drugs down to Gosport and Plymouth in bulk, or conduct cash collection trips whereby proceeds of drugs sales were collected from gang members and then transported back up to Liverpool.

During one such trip on 15 November 2022, a vehicle driven by Gareth Roberts was stopped by police near Plymouth. A search of the vehicle resulted in officers seizing around 3kg of heroin and crack cocaine.

As the investigation continued, police discovered phone contact between Anthony Siner and his older brother Brian, who was determined to be overseeing the Plymouth Line utilising a dealer in the area named Danny Venning.

The work then continued to identify other local runners and conspirators operating in Hampshire to deal or store drugs, and handle cash.

Following a number of arrests, the investigation team noticed a pause in activity on the drugs line, and took an opportunity to send out a text message en masse to drug users who had been in contact with the line, notifying them that it had been intercepted by police and signposting them to support services for their drug addiction.

A few months later, in July 2023, Merseyside Police supported the Constabulary with a day of action conducting further warrants and arrests. As part of this, both Siner brothers were arrested again before being charged and remanded to prison for their involvement in the conspiracy.

Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy, District Commander for Fareham and Gosport, said: “County Lines gangs like the Siner organised crime group inflict misery on communities, peddling drugs, preying on the vulnerable, and engaging in serious violence and anti-social behaviour.

“The police work into this criminal network ensured the problem was eradicated from the roots up, taking out key players and ultimately the two heads of the OCG – the Siner brothers.

“As well as convicting and jailing gang members, a number of them have been ordered to pay back millions in their ill-gotten gains. This will hang over their head indefinitely, and any assets they accrue in the future will be seized from them in order to pay this back.

“In addition, we have also successfully secured Serious Crime Prevention Orders to enforce further prohibitions on the Siners when they are released from prison to prevent further criminality.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our colleagues in Merseyside Police and Devon & Cornwall Police, in addition to the Crown Prosecution Service who presented the case to the courts.

“These gangs are not welcome, and police and partners will continue to work together in this way to disrupt those who infiltrate and bring harm to our towns and cities.”

Detective Sergeant Peter Sloan from Merseyside Police said: “Danny Venning’s sentencing marks the final chapter in what has been a complex and far‑reaching investigation, bringing the total number of offenders convicted to seventeen and resulting in more than 91 years of imprisonment. This operation has dismantled an organised crime group that caused significant harm across parts of the UK, including Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth.

“Thanks to the ongoing work of Hampshire police, Devon & Cornwall Police and Merseyside’s dedicated county lines team, Project Medusa, further court orders have been secured against several significant members of the group, which will restrict their ability to return to the same criminal activity and profit from their offending. These orders send a clear message: we will not allow criminals to profit from the misery they inflict. We will continue to use every power available to disrupt organised crime and protect the public.”