Drug gang 'second in command' jailed for 10 years

Lee Murray ran a phone line for users to order drugs

A gang member involved in a multimillion pound drug network has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Lee Murray was second in command of a gang supplying heroin, cocaine and other drugs in north Wales and across the UK.

Mold Crown Court heard he was responsible for a phone line for users to order drugs.

Murray, 34, of Liverpool, had pleaded guilty to four charges of conspiracy to supply drugs at a trial in July.

The "county lines" drugs operation, based on Merseyside, supplied drugs worth more than £2m mostly in Deeside and Anglesey but also as far as Cornwall and Aberdeen.

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Murray was the last of 18 gang members arrested as part of the largest operation of its type ever carried out by North Wales Police.

The gang of 18 people have all been jailed for their parts in the conspiracy

The court heard the majority of deals involved drug users ringing a hotline organised by Murray.

It operated seven days a week, with a group of call handlers in place to take the calls and organise the drugs to be transported, often to locations in Connah's Quay.

Ffion Medi Tomos, prosecuting, said: "The phone line that people would call to order drugs was called the 'Echo Line' and this defendant goes by the name of 'Echo'.

"Between April and July 2018, there were 160,000 calls and text messages to the Echo Line, selling thousands of pounds of drugs per day.

"Lee Murray was second in command. He was a very senior member of the group until he fell out with the leader, Colin Jones, and there was a plot to attack him."

Colin Jones (left) and Lee Murray (right) in October 2018, before Murray fell out of favour

Ringleader Colin Jones was sentenced to 21 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm.

But when he fell out with Murray, he arranged with his new second in command to have him attacked.

Police intervened to stop the hit taking place, which they believe would have involved a shotgun.

At the end of three days of sentencing, Judge Niclas Parry said: "On behalf of the public, I commend the police for their work to bring to an end a harmful operation.

"The community of Connah's Quay in particular has suffered the health and social blight of the activities of this organised crime group."