Liverpool man jailed for county lines drug supply and exploiting teenage boy

A Liverpool man who exploited a teenage boy to sell cocaine and heroin has been jailed for 35 months today (Wednesday 24 July).

Steven Morgan, 22, of Woodhurst Crescent, Liverpool, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court today (Wednesday 24 July) for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs (cocaine and heroin) and arranging or facilitating the travel of another person for exploitation under Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act.

Morgan was given concurrent sentences of 17 months for arranging or facilitating the travel of another person for exploitation under Section 2 of the Modern Slavery Act, and 35 months for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Morgan was arrested on 8 September 2023 at an address in Wigan by plain clothes officers from Wigan’s neighbourhood disruption team.

The case was referred to Merseyside’s Project Medusa, as it was established that Morgan was involved in the ‘Tommy’ drug line running between Liverpool and Wigan.

Project Medusa is the Merseyside-led initiative to tackle County Lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation across the country.

A vulnerable teenage boy was also found at the address, alongside an amount of suspected heroin, crack cocaine, weapons and multiple mobile phones. The boy was taken into custody and safeguarding measures were put in place.

The Project Medusa investigation established that Morgan had been using the teenage boy to do the risky and often dangerous work of running drugs to customers.

Mobile phones linked to Morgan also evidenced his involvement in the supply of drugs through the ‘Tommy’ drug line. 

Morgan was charged on 20 December 2023 and plead guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and a Modern Slavery offence.

Detective Sergeant Peter Sloan said: “Exploitation, coercion, and violence are cornerstones of the county lines trade, and gangs will often trap young and vulnerable people into debt, forcing them to transport their drugs to other parts of the country.

“Through our investigation, we were able to prove that Morgan was involved in the supply of Class A drugs and was using a vulnerable teenager to run these drugs for him across Liverpool and Wigan.

“Drug dealers often turn to those they can easily exploit to sell drugs on their behalf – with those most vulnerable taking all the risk. We are working hard to ensure that victims of county lines exploitation are protected from dangerous drug dealers like Morgan. 

“I hope this result acts as a warning to those who exploit children to deal drugs in Merseyside and further afield that they will not go unpunished.”

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)

Anyone who has any information about County Lines drug dealing in their area or anyone who is concerned about someone who may be being exploited by these gangs, can contact @CrimestoppersUK completely anonymously on 0800 555 111 or contact 101. In an emergency always contact 999. 

Worried about someone?

There are several signs to look out for that may indicate someone is involved in county lines:

• repeatedly going missing from school or home and being found in other areas
• having money, new clothes or electronic devices and they can't explain how they paid for them
• getting high numbers of texts or phone calls, being secretive about who they're speaking to
• decline in school or work performance
• significant changes in emotional or physical well-being

For more information about county lines, visit our County Lines webpage.