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Wales Online
27-05-2025
- Wales Online
North Wales man jailed for 17 years over role in £31.6m drugs plot
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A North Wales dad's involvement in a £31.6m drugs plot was revealed by the contents of a Sports Direct bags. Raymond Kinnear, and his son Nathan, were jailed for nearly 25 years, after police discovered a huge haul of 45kg of cocaine inside Raymond Kinnear's Audi. He had left the vehicle parked inside an industrial unit at a business park, a court heard. The 63-year-old enlisted his son, estate agent Nathan Kinnear, to provide "backup" during his criminal activities, as well as booking hotel rooms and providing Sports Direct and Aldi bags for life, which were used to store the illicit substances, reports the ECHO. Their arrests led to the dad being identified as the EncroChat user "ViperBat" and a Rolex watch being seized from his caravan. Liverpool Crown Court heard Merseyside Police attended Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree at around 10.45pm on June 18 last year and searched a unit which "appeared to be under the control of a bathroom company". However it had in fact been subleased by Raymond Kinnear around two months earlier on April 28, 2024. His grey Audi A4 was found parked within the premises, with 70 vacuum sealed blocks of high purity cocaine, weighing a total of 45kg and alone worth more than £1.5million, being located in several Sports Direct bags for life which had been left inside the vehicle. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, described how investigations subsequently established he had been in contact with his son throughout that afternoon before the dad drove to Merseyside from his caravan at Abbey Farm in Llangollen, Denbighshire. Nathan Kinnear and his girlfriend had meanwhile visited a Sports Direct store in order to purchase eight bags which were "consistent with" those which would later be used to hold the drugs. (Image: Google Maps) The 23-year-old also booked a room at the Travelodge at Stonedale Retail Park in Croxteth where his father would stay the night. The two men would visit the hotel together in order to check in before stopping at a BP petrol station and then travelling onwards to the industrial estate, with the son leaving his Mercedes C-Class parked nearby before his partner collected both shortly after 10pm and drove them to an Esso garage. Nathan Kinnear would be arrested at her home on Scarisbrick Road in Norris Green in the early hours on June 19 after attempting to flee from officers by jumping from an upstairs window, with the keys to the unit being found inside his car. The location in question was labelled a "safe area" where the drugs could be packaged and stored before being transported onwards after trucks had earlier completed deliveries to the site. Monies totalling £4,700 were subsequently seized from the top shelf of a wardrobe in his bedroom at his mum's home on Satinwood Crescent in Melling, with a further £250 located on the window ledge. PCs visited Raymond Kinnear's caravan later the same day and recovered a "high value" Rolex watch and around £30,000 of cash. A series of WhatsApp messages and calls between the father and son would ultimately reveal they had been involved in a series of similar movements of drugs or cash over the course of the previous six months. This scheme saw Kinnear senior liaise with others in order to arrange collections or drops off using passwords such as "Dumbo" and "blue". Nathan Kinnear was meanwhile recruited to perform "administrative" tasks such as providing "strong bags" from Aldi to store the cocaine and similarly booking stays at the same Travelodge hotel under his girlfriend's name. He was also captured by ANPR cameras travelling in convoy with his dad before and after several of these events, which occurred on March 1, March 9, April 23, April 29 and May 17. Including the seized 45kg, the Kinnears were linked to the supply of a total of 211kg of cocaine during this period. This quantity was said to have a wholesale value of between £6.19million and £7.96million, rising to between £18.9million and £31.6million if sold at street level. Raymond Kinnear's arrest meanwhile led to him being identified as the user of the EncroChat handle "ViperBat" before the encrypted communications platform was infiltrated by French police during 2020. Detectives were able to attribute this account to him due to references in messages to his co-defendant son, his daughter and his Hyundai i40 car. This saw him plot with fellow service users to store both cocaine and ketamine in a flat while using vehicles with hidden compartments in order to transport their wares in secret. Kinnear was also instructed by "Bush Tern" to collect £100,000 in cash from Bolton on one occasion in May of that year. "Notorious Bonsai" thereafter contacted him in order to arrange for a kilogram of cocaine to be dropped off near to the Asda supermarket in Walton. He was meanwhile paid £250 by "Elephant Gate" in order to "pick up some paper from Childwall" on May 30 2020, while he was shown to have used his daughter's car in order drop off a quarter of a kilo of drugs beside a pub on Altway in Aintree in June 2020. Kinnear's criminal record shows four previous convictions during the 1980s, including receiving three years in 1988 for causing death by reckless driving. Jason Smith, appearing on his behalf, previously said: "He is 63 years of age, and he has had to accept that a significant period of the latter part of his life will be spent serving a custodial sentence. "That will have an impact on him. More important is the impact on his family. They will suffer. There is an 87-year-old mother who he would have wished to spend time with, and she would have wished to spend time with him. This involvement in criminality deprives them both of that opportunity. (Image: Merseyside Police) "The person who suffers most is that one he has brought to the table. He has to suffer the shame and responsibility for his son being in the dock with him. He accepts full responsibility for involving Nathan in what took place. "His role has been set out. At times, it is a delivery role. At times, it is a role involving far more important logistics. He was working under the direction of others higher up in the chain. He is now aware of the consequences of being involved in offending such as that." Nathan Kinnear has no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: "A number of people attend on behalf of him today, including his mum, his partner and his sister. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here "I would ask the court to bear in mind his age. He may have been naïve as to the extent of the operation and the scale of criminality. He may have placed too much trust in his father and the things that he was expected to do for his dad." In relation to his client's role, Mr Becker said: "It may have been moral support, it may have been a show of strength. We cannot say. He must have been helping. What that help was is speculation. He was not an organiser, but someone who his father trusted. "His school days were not easy, but, in fairness to him, he enrolled at Hugh Baird College in a tiling course and then construction before pursuing surveying at John Moores University, before covid struck and remote study proved to be a real struggle. He went on to train with Summit and worked on a nationwide rail project before he had a nasty chainsaw accident. He retrained and worked as an estate agent until his arrest. "He was looking for approval from his dad. It is very difficult to say no to a parent who is expecting a particular response. The defendant accepts that he made serious errors of judgement. "His 89-year-old grandfather sadly passed away a few days ago. The defendant is loved by members of his family. It is clearly going to be a long sentence for a 23-year-old. I would ask your honour to give him some hope for the future and not to crush his hopes." Raymond Kinnear, who appeared in the dock wearing a white shirt and tie with short grey hair, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and one of conspiracy to supply ketamine. He was handed 17 years behind bars this morning, Tuesday. Nathan Kinnear, who wore glasses and a navy blue suit over a white shirt and pale blue tie, as well as sporting short brown hair, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine. He stood with his head bowed as he received seven years and four months. Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC labelled the scheme an "operation on the most serious and commercial scale" and added: "It is clear that Raymond Kinnear was very close to those involved in the importation of the drugs. Raymond Kinnear's role was to collect the cocaine, to store it in an industrial unit rented for that purpose, to divide it and to deliver it to those further down the chain of supply. "For that work, Raymond Kinnear was well rewarded. In addition, he involved his son Nathan in his offending. Nathan Kinnear played a part in the conspiracy on each occasion that Raymond Kinnear was involved in the distribution of class A drugs. "There are some important differences in their situations. Nathan Kinnear's role was clearly subordinate to that of his father. It involved booking accommodation, giving his father lifts, sourcing bags in which to carry drugs and providing backup when his father delivered the drugs. "I have read a letter from Raymond Kinnear and accept that he is genuinely remorseful for involving his son in his offending and for the upset caused to his wider family. It is notable that there is no expression of remorse for the impact on those whose lives have been blighted by the drugs distributed by him and his conspiracy." Judge Flewitt meanwhile said of Nathan Kinnear: "It is clear that he is a young man who is highly regarded, and he has the potential to make something of his life. I accept that Nathan Kinnear was drawn into this offending by his father as a result of naivety and an eagerness to please. "Nonetheless, he can have been in no doubt as to the seriousness of the enterprise in which he was involved. Nathan Kinnear was still a young man when he committed the offence. There are grounds to believe that he will develop and, upon release, realise his full potential." Find crime figures for your area
North Wales Live
27-05-2025
- North Wales Live
North Wales man jailed for 17 years over role in £31.6m drugs plot
A North Wales dad's involvement in a £31.6m drugs plot was revealed by the contents of a Sports Direct bags. Raymond Kinnear, and his son Nathan, were jailed for nearly 25 years, after police discovered a huge haul of 45kg of cocaine inside Raymond Kinnear's Audi. He had left the vehicle parked inside an industrial unit at a business park, a court heard. The 63-year-old enlisted his son, estate agent Nathan Kinnear, to provide "backup" during his criminal activities, as well as booking hotel rooms and providing Sports Direct and Aldi bags for life, which were used to store the illicit substances, reports the ECHO. Their arrests led to the dad being identified as the EncroChat user "ViperBat" and a Rolex watch being seized from his caravan. Liverpool Crown Court heard Merseyside Police attended Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree at around 10.45pm on June 18 last year and searched a unit which "appeared to be under the control of a bathroom company". However it had in fact been subleased by Raymond Kinnear around two months earlier on April 28, 2024. His grey Audi A4 was found parked within the premises, with 70 vacuum sealed blocks of high purity cocaine, weighing a total of 45kg and alone worth more than £1.5million, being located in several Sports Direct bags for life which had been left inside the vehicle. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, described how investigations subsequently established he had been in contact with his son throughout that afternoon before the dad drove to Merseyside from his caravan at Abbey Farm in Llangollen, Denbighshire. Nathan Kinnear and his girlfriend had meanwhile visited a Sports Direct store in order to purchase eight bags which were "consistent with" those which would later be used to hold the drugs. The 23-year-old also booked a room at the Travelodge at Stonedale Retail Park in Croxteth where his father would stay the night. The two men would visit the hotel together in order to check in before stopping at a BP petrol station and then travelling onwards to the industrial estate, with the son leaving his Mercedes C-Class parked nearby before his partner collected both shortly after 10pm and drove them to an Esso garage. Nathan Kinnear would be arrested at her home on Scarisbrick Road in Norris Green in the early hours on June 19 after attempting to flee from officers by jumping from an upstairs window, with the keys to the unit being found inside his car. The location in question was labelled a "safe area" where the drugs could be packaged and stored before being transported onwards after trucks had earlier completed deliveries to the site. Monies totalling £4,700 were subsequently seized from the top shelf of a wardrobe in his bedroom at his mum's home on Satinwood Crescent in Melling, with a further £250 located on the window ledge. PCs visited Raymond Kinnear's caravan later the same day and recovered a "high value" Rolex watch and around £30,000 of cash. A series of WhatsApp messages and calls between the father and son would ultimately reveal they had been involved in a series of similar movements of drugs or cash over the course of the previous six months. This scheme saw Kinnear senior liaise with others in order to arrange collections or drops off using passwords such as "Dumbo" and "blue". Nathan Kinnear was meanwhile recruited to perform "administrative" tasks such as providing "strong bags" from Aldi to store the cocaine and similarly booking stays at the same Travelodge hotel under his girlfriend's name. He was also captured by ANPR cameras travelling in convoy with his dad before and after several of these events, which occurred on March 1, March 9, April 23, April 29 and May 17. Including the seized 45kg, the Kinnears were linked to the supply of a total of 211kg of cocaine during this period. This quantity was said to have a wholesale value of between £6.19million and £7.96million, rising to between £18.9million and £31.6million if sold at street level. Raymond Kinnear's arrest meanwhile led to him being identified as the user of the EncroChat handle "ViperBat" before the encrypted communications platform was infiltrated by French police during 2020. Detectives were able to attribute this account to him due to references in messages to his co-defendant son, his daughter and his Hyundai i40 car. This saw him plot with fellow service users to store both cocaine and ketamine in a flat while using vehicles with hidden compartments in order to transport their wares in secret. Kinnear was also instructed by "Bush Tern" to collect £100,000 in cash from Bolton on one occasion in May of that year. "Notorious Bonsai" thereafter contacted him in order to arrange for a kilogram of cocaine to be dropped off near to the Asda supermarket in Walton. He was meanwhile paid £250 by "Elephant Gate" in order to "pick up some paper from Childwall" on May 30 2020, while he was shown to have used his daughter's car in order drop off a quarter of a kilo of drugs beside a pub on Altway in Aintree in June 2020. Kinnear's criminal record shows four previous convictions during the 1980s, including receiving three years in 1988 for causing death by reckless driving. Jason Smith, appearing on his behalf, previously said: "He is 63 years of age, and he has had to accept that a significant period of the latter part of his life will be spent serving a custodial sentence. "That will have an impact on him. More important is the impact on his family. They will suffer. There is an 87-year-old mother who he would have wished to spend time with, and she would have wished to spend time with him. This involvement in criminality deprives them both of that opportunity. "The person who suffers most is that one he has brought to the table. He has to suffer the shame and responsibility for his son being in the dock with him. He accepts full responsibility for involving Nathan in what took place. "His role has been set out. At times, it is a delivery role. At times, it is a role involving far more important logistics. He was working under the direction of others higher up in the chain. He is now aware of the consequences of being involved in offending such as that." Nathan Kinnear has no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: "A number of people attend on behalf of him today, including his mum, his partner and his sister. You can sign up for all the latest court stories here "I would ask the court to bear in mind his age. He may have been naïve as to the extent of the operation and the scale of criminality. He may have placed too much trust in his father and the things that he was expected to do for his dad." In relation to his client's role, Mr Becker said: "It may have been moral support, it may have been a show of strength. We cannot say. He must have been helping. What that help was is speculation. He was not an organiser, but someone who his father trusted. "His school days were not easy, but, in fairness to him, he enrolled at Hugh Baird College in a tiling course and then construction before pursuing surveying at John Moores University, before covid struck and remote study proved to be a real struggle. He went on to train with Summit and worked on a nationwide rail project before he had a nasty chainsaw accident. He retrained and worked as an estate agent until his arrest. "He was looking for approval from his dad. It is very difficult to say no to a parent who is expecting a particular response. The defendant accepts that he made serious errors of judgement. "His 89-year-old grandfather sadly passed away a few days ago. The defendant is loved by members of his family. It is clearly going to be a long sentence for a 23-year-old. I would ask your honour to give him some hope for the future and not to crush his hopes." Raymond Kinnear, who appeared in the dock wearing a white shirt and tie with short grey hair, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and one of conspiracy to supply ketamine. He was handed 17 years behind bars this morning, Tuesday. Nathan Kinnear, who wore glasses and a navy blue suit over a white shirt and pale blue tie, as well as sporting short brown hair, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine. He stood with his head bowed as he received seven years and four months. Sentencing, Judge Neil Flewitt KC labelled the scheme an "operation on the most serious and commercial scale" and added: "It is clear that Raymond Kinnear was very close to those involved in the importation of the drugs. Raymond Kinnear's role was to collect the cocaine, to store it in an industrial unit rented for that purpose, to divide it and to deliver it to those further down the chain of supply. "For that work, Raymond Kinnear was well rewarded. In addition, he involved his son Nathan in his offending. Nathan Kinnear played a part in the conspiracy on each occasion that Raymond Kinnear was involved in the distribution of class A drugs. "There are some important differences in their situations. Nathan Kinnear's role was clearly subordinate to that of his father. It involved booking accommodation, giving his father lifts, sourcing bags in which to carry drugs and providing backup when his father delivered the drugs. "I have read a letter from Raymond Kinnear and accept that he is genuinely remorseful for involving his son in his offending and for the upset caused to his wider family. It is notable that there is no expression of remorse for the impact on those whose lives have been blighted by the drugs distributed by him and his conspiracy." Judge Flewitt meanwhile said of Nathan Kinnear: "It is clear that he is a young man who is highly regarded, and he has the potential to make something of his life. I accept that Nathan Kinnear was drawn into this offending by his father as a result of naivety and an eagerness to please. "Nonetheless, he can have been in no doubt as to the seriousness of the enterprise in which he was involved. Nathan Kinnear was still a young man when he committed the offence. There are grounds to believe that he will develop and, upon release, realise his full potential."
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Prison governor jailed for nine years over affair with drug lord
A prison governor has been jailed for nine years over an affair with a drug gang boss. Kerri Pegg, 42, swapped her Honda Jazz for a £12,000 Mercedes C-Class car, paid for by 34kg of amphetamines by Anthony Saunderson, a major organised crime figure who is now serving 35 years behind bars. Saunderson was known to criminal associates as 'Jesse Pinkman', the drug dealer in the show Breaking Bad, or 'James Gandolfini', the actor who played mafia boss Tony Soprano in the eponymous TV series. Members of his gang complained their boss was spending too much time with Pegg, neglecting his wife and 'work', a court heard. Pegg, described in court as 'petite, blonde and bubbly', signed off on a temporary release for Saunderson, though she did not have the authority to do so. During her trial at Preston Crown Court, it emerged Saunderson had developed and delivered a programme titled Beating Alcohol and Drug Dependency (BADD) for inmates at several jails while at the time being a major drug dealer, running an amphetamines factory. Pegg claimed her contact with Saunderson was because of his involvement in the BADD programme. Pegg was convicted of two counts of misconduct in a public office and one count of possession of criminal property, following a three-week trial last month. Phil Copple, chief executive of HM Prison and Probation Service, said: 'The criminal misconduct in this case lets down the public we serve, as well as the vast majority of honest and hard-working prison staff. But it also demonstrates our determination to take robust action against those who fail to achieve proper professional standards.' The court heard Pegg joined the Prison Service in 2012 as a graduate entrant, working at prisons including Risley, Liverpool and Styal, and by April 2018 she was a governor at HMP Kirkham, where Saunderson was reaching the end of a 10-year sentence for drugs offences. He had been one of Merseyside's most wanted fugitives for his part in importing £19 million of cocaine in shipments of corned beef from Argentina. There were concerns about Pegg being inappropriately close to Saunderson, with the two often in her office with the door closed. She told jurors there were 'cultural issues' at the jail, and clashed with bosses over her 'progressive' and 'hands-on' open-door policy with prisoners. Saunderson was released from Kirkham in May 2019 and within two months, while still on licence, was involved in another massive drug conspiracy. Saunderson and his gang were producing and supplying drugs on an industrial scale from a lab on the border between England and Wales and a storage unit in Aintree, Merseyside. He was jailed for 35 years at Liverpool Crown Court in August 2022 after law enforcement agencies cracked the EncroChat system – a phone network used by serious organised criminals. It revealed Saunderson's drug dealing – and his relationship with Pegg. When police raided her Wigan apartment in November 2020, the Mercedes paid for by Saunderson in drugs was parked outside. They discovered designer clothes, handbags and jewellery, and found Pegg living beyond her means. Detectives discovered that despite her £3,000 a month income, Pegg was deep in undeclared debt, which amounted to misconduct as debts make officials vulnerable to corruption. Her four credit cards were maxed out and she had 6p in her savings account. Andrew Alty, defending, in his closing speech to the jury, claimed Pegg had been 'green and stupid', a naive and gullible person who was manipulated by Saunderson. Pegg tearfully told jurors she had been 'incredibly stupid' but did not think she had done anything wrong. Barbara-Louise Webster, prosecuting, said Pegg had a promising future, but added: 'Anthony Saunderson was her downfall.' After her arrest and resignation from the Prison Service, Pegg became the operations manager for The Brick, a poverty and homelessness charity. The charity was aware of her being under investigation, but she kept her job with 'substantial restrictions'. Tarryn McCaffrey, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Pegg's actions in becoming involved with a prisoner who had committed serious drug offences portrayed a total lack of integrity or judgment. 'She displayed a shocking lack of professionalism in her role, overriding rules around Saunderson's temporary release and ignoring her obligations to declare personal debts.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Wales Online
16-05-2025
- Wales Online
North Wales man's role in £31m drugs plot uncovered when police checked Sports Direct bag
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A North Wales man and his son's role in a £31m drugs plot was revealed when police looked inside a Sports Direct Bag, which was found in an Audi. Officers found a major haul of 45kg of cocaine inside Raymond Kinnear's car, which had been left parked inside an industrial unit at a business park. Kinnear, 63, was afterwards found to have enlisted his son, estate agent Nathan Kinnear, to work in an "administrative" role in order to help him with his criminal activities, which included booking hotel rooms and providing Sports Direct and Aldi bags for life which were then used to store the illicit substances. Their arrests led to the dad being identified as the EncroChat user "ViperBat" and a Rolex watch being seized from his caravan, reports the ECHO. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday that Merseyside Police attended Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree at around 10.45pm on June 18 last year and searched a unit which "appeared to be under the control of a bathroom company", but had in fact been subleased by Raymond Kinnear around two months earlier on April 28 2024. His grey Audi A4 was found parked within the premises, with 70 vacuum sealed blocks of high purity cocaine, weighing a total of 45kg, being located in several Sports Direct bags for life which had been left inside the vehicle. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, described how investigations subsequently established he had been in contact with his son throughout that afternoon before the dad drove to Merseyside from his caravan at Abbey Farm in Llangollen. Nathan Kinnear and his girlfriend had meanwhile visited a Sports Direct store in order to purchase eight bags which were "consistent with" those which would later be used to hold the drugs. The 23-year-old also booked a room at the Travelodge at Stonedale Retail Park in Croxteth where his father would stay the night. The two men would visit the hotel together in order to check-in before stopping at a BP petrol station then travelling onwards to the industrial estate, with the son leaving his Mercedes C-Class parked nearby before his partner collected both shortly after 10pm and drove them to an Esso garage. Nathan Kinnear would be arrested at her home on Scarisbrick Road in Norris Green in the early hours on June 19 after attempting to flee from officers by jumping from an upstairs window, with the keys to the unit being found inside his car. The location in question was labelled a "safe area" where the drugs could be packaged and stored before being transported onwards after trucks had earlier completed deliveries to the site. Monies totalling £4,700 were subsequently seized from the top shelf of a wardrobe in his bedroom at his mum's home on Satinwood Crescent in Melling, with a further £250 located on the window ledge. PCs visited Raymond Kinnear's caravan later the same day and recovered a "high value" Rolex watch and around £30,000 of cash. A series of WhatsApp messages and calls between the father and son would ultimately reveal they had been involved in a series of similar movements of drugs or cash over the course of the previous six months. This scheme saw Kinnear senior liaise with others in order to arrange collections or drops off using passwords such as "Dumbo" and "blue". Nathan Kinnear was meanwhile recruited to perform "administrative" tasks such as providing "strong bags" from Aldi to store the cocaine and similarly booking stays at the same Travelodge hotel under his girlfriend's name. He was also captured by ANPR cameras travelling in convoy with his dad before and after several of these events, which occurred on March 1, March 9, April 23, April 29 and May 17. Including the seized 45kg, the Kinnears were linked to the supply of a total of 211kg of cocaine during this period. This quantity was said to have a wholesale of between £6.19million and £7.96million, rising to between £18.9million and £31.6million if sold at street level. Raymond Kinnear's arrest meanwhile led to him being identified as the user of the EncroChat handle "ViperBat" before the encrypted communications platform was infiltrated by French police during 2020. Detectives were able to attribute this account to him due to references in messages to his co-defendant son, his daughter and his Hyundai i40 car. This saw him plot with fellow service users to store both cocaine and ketamine in a flat while using vehicles with hidden compartments in order to transport their wares in secret. Kinnear was also instructed by "Bush Tern" to collect £100,000 in cash from Bolton on one occasion in May of that year. "Notorious Bonsai" thereafter contacted him in order to arrange for a kilogram of cocaine to be dropped off near to the Asda supermarket in Walton. He was meanwhile paid £250 by "Elephant Gate" in order to "pick up some paper from Childwall" on May 30 2020, while he was shown to have used his daughter's car in order drop off a quarter of a kilo of drugs beside a pub on Altway in Aintree in June 2020. Kinnear's criminal record shows four previous convictions during the 1980s, including receiving three years in 1988 for causing death by reckless driving. Jason Smith, appearing on his behalf, said today: "He is 63 years of age, and he has had to accept that a significant period of the latter part of his life will be spent serving a custodial sentence. "That will have an impact on him. More important is the impact on his family. They will suffer. There is an 87-year-old mother who he would have wished to spend time with, and she would have wished to spend time with him. This involvement in criminality deprives them both of that opportunity. "The person who suffers most is that one he has brought to the table. He has to suffer the shame and responsibility for his son being in the dock with him. He accepts full responsibility for involving Nathan in what took place. "His role has been set out. At times, it is a delivery role. At times, it is a role involving far more important logistics. He was working under the direction of others higher up in the chain. He is now aware of the consequences of being involved in offending such as that." Nathan Kinnear has no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: "A number of people attend on behalf of him today, including his mum, his partner and his sister. "I would ask the court to bear in mind his age. He may have been naïve as to the extent of the operation and the scale of criminality. He may have placed too much trust in his father and the things that he was expected to do for his dad." In relation to his client's role, Mr Becker said: "It may have been moral support, it may have been a show of strength. We cannot say. He must have been helping. What that help was is speculation. He was not an organiser, but someone who his father trusted. "His school days were not easy, but, in fairness to him, he enrolled at Hugh Baird College in a tiling course and then construction before pursuing surveying at John Moores University, before covid struck and remote study proved to be a real struggle. He went on to train with Summit and worked on a nationwide rail project before he had a nasty chainsaw accident. He retrained and worked as an estate agent until his arrest. "He was looking for approval from his dad. It is very difficult to say no to a parent who is expecting a particular response. The defendant accepts that he made serious errors of judgement." Some of his supporters were seen to be in tears as Mr Becker added: "His 89-year-old grandfather sadly passed away a few days ago. The defendant is loved by members of his family. It is clearly going to be a long sentence for a 23-year-old. I would ask your honour to give him some hope for the future and not to crush his hopes." Raymond Kinnear, who appeared in the dock wearing a khaki green Rab tracksuit top with short grey hair, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and one of conspiracy to supply ketamine. Nathan Kinnear, who wore glasses and a navy blue suit over a white shirt and pale blue tie, as well as sporting short brown hair, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine. Judge Neil Flewitt KC had been due to pass sentence today, but the case was ultimately adjourned until May 27 due to a lack of court time. Raymond Kinnear was seen to wave towards those sitting in the public gallery as he was led to the cells. Further remanding the defendants into custody until this date, he said: "I am sorry that I cannot sentence you this afternoon. I know you want to know your fate, but I would not be doing justice to you if I rushed this. "I am going to take time to reflect on this. I am sure that you both appreciate that you are facing substantial terms of imprisonment. It is just a question of how long it is going to be." You can sign up for all the latest court stories here Find crime figures for your area
North Wales Live
16-05-2025
- North Wales Live
North Wales man's role in £31m drugs plot uncovered when police checked Sports Direct bag
A North Wales man and his son's role in a £31m drugs plot was revealed when police looked inside a Sports Direct Bag, which was found in an Audi. Officers found a major haul of 45kg of cocaine inside Raymond Kinnear's car, which had been left parked inside an industrial unit at a business park. Kinnear, 63, was afterwards found to have enlisted his son, estate agent Nathan Kinnear, to work in an "administrative" role in order to help him with his criminal activities, which included booking hotel rooms and providing Sports Direct and Aldi bags for life which were then used to store the illicit substances. Their arrests led to the dad being identified as the EncroChat user "ViperBat" and a Rolex watch being seized from his caravan, reports the ECHO. Liverpool Crown Court heard on Thursday that Merseyside Police attended Liver Industrial Estate in Aintree at around 10.45pm on June 18 last year and searched a unit which "appeared to be under the control of a bathroom company", but had in fact been subleased by Raymond Kinnear around two months earlier on April 28 2024. His grey Audi A4 was found parked within the premises, with 70 vacuum sealed blocks of high purity cocaine, weighing a total of 45kg, being located in several Sports Direct bags for life which had been left inside the vehicle. Nicola Daley, prosecuting, described how investigations subsequently established he had been in contact with his son throughout that afternoon before the dad drove to Merseyside from his caravan at Abbey Farm in Llangollen. Nathan Kinnear and his girlfriend had meanwhile visited a Sports Direct store in order to purchase eight bags which were "consistent with" those which would later be used to hold the drugs. The 23-year-old also booked a room at the Travelodge at Stonedale Retail Park in Croxteth where his father would stay the night. The two men would visit the hotel together in order to check-in before stopping at a BP petrol station then travelling onwards to the industrial estate, with the son leaving his Mercedes C-Class parked nearby before his partner collected both shortly after 10pm and drove them to an Esso garage. Nathan Kinnear would be arrested at her home on Scarisbrick Road in Norris Green in the early hours on June 19 after attempting to flee from officers by jumping from an upstairs window, with the keys to the unit being found inside his car. The location in question was labelled a "safe area" where the drugs could be packaged and stored before being transported onwards after trucks had earlier completed deliveries to the site. Monies totalling £4,700 were subsequently seized from the top shelf of a wardrobe in his bedroom at his mum's home on Satinwood Crescent in Melling, with a further £250 located on the window ledge. PCs visited Raymond Kinnear's caravan later the same day and recovered a "high value" Rolex watch and around £30,000 of cash. A series of WhatsApp messages and calls between the father and son would ultimately reveal they had been involved in a series of similar movements of drugs or cash over the course of the previous six months. This scheme saw Kinnear senior liaise with others in order to arrange collections or drops off using passwords such as "Dumbo" and "blue". Nathan Kinnear was meanwhile recruited to perform "administrative" tasks such as providing "strong bags" from Aldi to store the cocaine and similarly booking stays at the same Travelodge hotel under his girlfriend's name. He was also captured by ANPR cameras travelling in convoy with his dad before and after several of these events, which occurred on March 1, March 9, April 23, April 29 and May 17. Including the seized 45kg, the Kinnears were linked to the supply of a total of 211kg of cocaine during this period. This quantity was said to have a wholesale of between £6.19million and £7.96million, rising to between £18.9million and £31.6million if sold at street level. Raymond Kinnear's arrest meanwhile led to him being identified as the user of the EncroChat handle "ViperBat" before the encrypted communications platform was infiltrated by French police during 2020. Detectives were able to attribute this account to him due to references in messages to his co-defendant son, his daughter and his Hyundai i40 car. This saw him plot with fellow service users to store both cocaine and ketamine in a flat while using vehicles with hidden compartments in order to transport their wares in secret. Kinnear was also instructed by "Bush Tern" to collect £100,000 in cash from Bolton on one occasion in May of that year. "Notorious Bonsai" thereafter contacted him in order to arrange for a kilogram of cocaine to be dropped off near to the Asda supermarket in Walton. He was meanwhile paid £250 by "Elephant Gate" in order to "pick up some paper from Childwall" on May 30 2020, while he was shown to have used his daughter's car in order drop off a quarter of a kilo of drugs beside a pub on Altway in Aintree in June 2020. Kinnear's criminal record shows four previous convictions during the 1980s, including receiving three years in 1988 for causing death by reckless driving. Jason Smith, appearing on his behalf, said today: "He is 63 years of age, and he has had to accept that a significant period of the latter part of his life will be spent serving a custodial sentence. "That will have an impact on him. More important is the impact on his family. They will suffer. There is an 87-year-old mother who he would have wished to spend time with, and she would have wished to spend time with him. This involvement in criminality deprives them both of that opportunity. "The person who suffers most is that one he has brought to the table. He has to suffer the shame and responsibility for his son being in the dock with him. He accepts full responsibility for involving Nathan in what took place. "His role has been set out. At times, it is a delivery role. At times, it is a role involving far more important logistics. He was working under the direction of others higher up in the chain. He is now aware of the consequences of being involved in offending such as that." Nathan Kinnear has no previous convictions. Paul Becker, defending, told the court: "A number of people attend on behalf of him today, including his mum, his partner and his sister. "I would ask the court to bear in mind his age. He may have been naïve as to the extent of the operation and the scale of criminality. He may have placed too much trust in his father and the things that he was expected to do for his dad." In relation to his client's role, Mr Becker said: "It may have been moral support, it may have been a show of strength. We cannot say. He must have been helping. What that help was is speculation. He was not an organiser, but someone who his father trusted. "His school days were not easy, but, in fairness to him, he enrolled at Hugh Baird College in a tiling course and then construction before pursuing surveying at John Moores University, before covid struck and remote study proved to be a real struggle. He went on to train with Summit and worked on a nationwide rail project before he had a nasty chainsaw accident. He retrained and worked as an estate agent until his arrest. "He was looking for approval from his dad. It is very difficult to say no to a parent who is expecting a particular response. The defendant accepts that he made serious errors of judgement." Some of his supporters were seen to be in tears as Mr Becker added: "His 89-year-old grandfather sadly passed away a few days ago. The defendant is loved by members of his family. It is clearly going to be a long sentence for a 23-year-old. I would ask your honour to give him some hope for the future and not to crush his hopes." Raymond Kinnear, who appeared in the dock wearing a khaki green Rab tracksuit top with short grey hair, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and one of conspiracy to supply ketamine. Nathan Kinnear, who wore glasses and a navy blue suit over a white shirt and pale blue tie, as well as sporting short brown hair, pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine. Judge Neil Flewitt KC had been due to pass sentence today, but the case was ultimately adjourned until May 27 due to a lack of court time. Raymond Kinnear was seen to wave towards those sitting in the public gallery as he was led to the cells. Further remanding the defendants into custody until this date, he said: "I am sorry that I cannot sentence you this afternoon. I know you want to know your fate, but I would not be doing justice to you if I rushed this. "I am going to take time to reflect on this. I am sure that you both appreciate that you are facing substantial terms of imprisonment. It is just a question of how long it is going to be."
