Knowsley man jailed for ‘Sunny’ county line drug supply

A Knowsley man has been jailed for three and a half years after supplying Class A drugs to Scotland.

Josh Donnelly, aged 29, of Hollow Croft, Stockbridge Village, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Tuesday 12 September, after pleading guilty to supplying heroin and crack cocaine.

As part of Operation Toxic, officers executed a warrant at an address in Hollow Croft on 2 November 2022, where Donnelly was arrested and later charged.

Operation Toxic officers led an investigation which proved Donnelly’s involvement in a County Lines drug supply to Peterhead, Scotland, using the name ‘Sunny’. Cash and suspected drugs were found following warrants in Peterhead, Scotland linked to the same investigation. 

Donnelly was charged on 3 November 2022 and released on conditional bail, to appear on trial at a later date. Before his trial was due to start in August 2023, Donnelly pleaded guilty.

Detective Inspector Gary Stratton said: "This investigation is part of the proactive work we carry out under Project Medusa, an operation that works across force boundaries to ensure we take county lines offenders off our streets.

“I hope Donnelly’s sentence shows how committed we are in removing anyone who is involved in organised crime and the supply of drugs in our communities which often destroys so many lives."

Operation Toxic is part of Project Medusa – a Merseyside-led initiative set up to tackle County Lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation across the country.

Since 2019, Project Medusa officers have closed 1,101 county lines; arrested 2,421 people for various offences including drug supply, firearms offences and money laundering; and identified 1,256 vulnerable adults and children who have been referred to safeguarding services.

If you have concerns about drug dealing in your area you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, call Merseyside Police on 101 or DM @MerpolCC.  Always contact 999 if a crime is in progress.