Two men charged with firearms and drugs offences

We can confirm that two more men have been charged with various firearms and drugs offences following warrants carried out on Thursday 9 November.

A total of eight warrants were executed across Merseyside as part of our relentless activity to disrupt those suspected as being involved in serious organised crime groups, which resulted in 11 people being charged.

Two more men have now been charged in relation to this ongoing operation, bringing the total number of charges up to 13.

Terry Riley, 32, of Glan Aber Park, West Derby, has been charged with conspiracy to possess a firearm without a certificate and conspiring to supply Class A drugs (cocaine and heroin). He is due to appear at Wirral Magistrate’s Court today (Tuesday 14 November).

Scott Howard, 33, of no fixed abode, has been charged with conspiring to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life/enabling another person to do so, possessing a firearm when prohibited for life, possessing ammunition for a firearm without a certificate and conspiring to supply Class A drugs (cocaine and heroin).

He has been remanded to appear at Liverpool, Knowsley and St Helens Not Guilty Anticipated Plea Court on Tuesday 21 November.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Ball said: “Merseyside Police pro-actively investigates serious organised crime including the use of guns and the supply and distribution of drugs on Merseyside and is relentless in its pursuit of offenders involved in serious organised crime groups.

“It is vital that members of our communities come forward with information so we can make our communities safer for the decent, law-abiding people who live in areas affected by gun crime.”

If you have any information about serious organised crime groups, firearms or drugs in your area, please come forward. You can call 101 or DM ‘MerPolCC’ on Twitter or ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre.

If you don’t feel comfortable coming directly to the police, you can call the independent, anonymous, Crimestoppers hotline on 0800 555 111.