Wirral man jailed for drug supply offences

A Wirral man has been jailed for more than five years after admitting his involvement in the supply of more than £250,000 of Class A drugs.

Aaron Duff, aged 32, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court on July 26, 2024 to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and received five years three months in prison.

Duff was charged with supplying cocaine and heroin from October 28, 2023 up until his arrest on March 30, 2024 on the Beechwood estate, which is part of EVOLVE Wirral and one of three Clear, Hold, Build areas in Merseyside tackling serious and organised crime and rebuilding neighbourhoods into more resilient places where people love to live, work and visit.

Officers from Operation Toxic investigating County Lines identified a graft phone sending out flare messages advertising Class A drugs for sale that was attributed to Duff.

An estimated street value of £253,350 in heroin and crack cocaine is thought to have been supplied on that graft line between October 28 2023 and March 30, 2024.

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.

The Project Medusa team provides the daily force response to county lines and they work alongside partners and other forces from across the UK to dismantle and disrupt criminal gangs and stop the criminal exploitation of young people and vulnerable adults.

Community Inspector Sharon Robinson said: “Through Operation Toxic’s investigation, we were able to prove that Duff was the controller of a drugs line in Wirral that would have caused significant harm to our community, especially those who are vulnerable.

"Drugs, and the violence that goes hand in hand with those involved in trying to tout them, can have a devastating impact and we are committed to getting these predatory criminals off our streets, ending their drugs trade and getting help for those who are suffering from addiction.

“We thank the public who share information with us about drug dealing or any associated criminality as this intelligence is vital to protecting our communities and we urge people to keep sharing information, no matter how small, as it can make a huge difference.”

Merseyside Police’s ‘Silence is Not an Option’ campaign focuses on changing attitudes towards reporting gang-related activity and increasing intelligence reports to Crimestoppers anonymously to report serious and organised crime in Merseyside.

For more information, please visit: Give information 100% anonymously about organised crime in Merseyside | Crimestoppers (crimestoppers-uk.org)

If you have any information about drug-related activity in your area DM @MerPolCC or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always call 999.