14 charged with drugs and firearms offences after joint County Lines investigation

Detectives charged 14 people from across the UK on Thursday 25 February, following warrants into County Lines drug supply and the possession of firearms.

Warrants were executed at addresses in Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Morecombe and Plymouth as part of an ongoing investigation into the criminal use of firearms and drug trafficking between the UK locations.

The activity follows warrants in Merseyside and Eastbourne in January and April-November 2020, during which firearms, cash and Class A drugs were recovered from addresses in Kirkby, Liverpool and Morecambe.

During the course of the investigation, officers have seized a significant amount of Class A and B drugs, as well as firearms, ammunition, and component parts of firearms.

The following people have been charged:

Merseyside
Christopher Scully, 32, of Prestbury Road Liverpool
Phillip Ryder, 39, of Quernmore Rd Liverpool
Ricky Dewsbury, 41, of Prestbury Rd Liverpool
Anya Buckley, 19, of Newman Street Liverpool
Nicholas Begg, 21, of Newman Street Liverpool

Morecambe
Stephen Watson, 48, of Balmoral Road
Emma Rimmer, 44, of Balmoral Road
Gareth Rees, 44, of HMP Liverpool
Katrina Knight, 49, of HMP Styal
Samantha Nield, 33, of Alexandra Road
Scott McKenzie, 38, of Bartholomew Road
Dean Tarry, 53, of Westminister Road

Greater Manchester
Wayne Cohen, 38, of Barton Road Bolton

Plymouth
Colin Brown, 41, of Riverview, Plymouth

Anyone with information on the storage of weapons or use of drugs can contact @MerPolCC on Twitter or call 101. Alternatively, you can pass information to independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.