17 members of criminal gang jailed for combined 91 years after supplying crack and heroin to Gosport, Liverpool and Plymouth

Danny Venning, 39, of Beatrice Avenue, Lipson, Plymouth was sentenced to six years and nine months at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday, December 12. He was a member of the Siner Organised Crime Group (OCG), headed up by brothers Anthony and Brian Siner, who supplied crack and heroin between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth.

Venning was the last person to be sentenced with the other member given their jail time earlier this year, including the Siner brothers from Liverpool who were sentenced to 17 years and 7 months and 15 years and 9 months respectively.

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Following their release the brothers have been banned from entering Fareham, Gosport and Plymouth and given a number of other restrictions.

Amongst the 17 convictions, ten of them were based in the Gosport and Fareham area. They received the below sentences:

• Max Pike, aged 29, of Little Chilworth, Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for five years and 7 months.
• Clayton Donnelly, aged 22, of Sunbeam Way, Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for 4 and a half years.
• Donna Yuen, aged 49, of Davenport Close, Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs was handed a 22 month sentence, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days, and 60 hours unpaid work.
• Paul Naughton, aged 31, of no fixed abode, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for six years.
• Brett Coe-Quainton, aged 26, of Gale Moor Avenue in Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for five years.
• Kevin Wealthal, aged 58, of Little Chilworth in Gosport, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was sentenced to two years, suspended for two years, and was also made subject to a tagged curfew.
• Christopher Crewe, aged 40, of no fixed abode, was handed a 12 month Community Order, comprising a 6 month Drug Rehabilitation Requirement, and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days.
• Sean Harland, aged 44, of Miller Drive in Fareham, was handed an 18 month sentence, suspended for two years, having previously pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
• Lee Illingworth, aged 40, of no fixed abode, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, having already spent 13 months in prison awaiting sentence. He was also ordered to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The investigation, led by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Northern Area Serious & Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) and supported by Merseyside Police and Devon & Cornwall Police, seized more than 4kg of drugs and more than £30,000 in cash. Between January 1, 2022, and March 28, 2023, the OCG sold at least 25kg of crack cocaine and heroin in Gosport alone.

Police targeted suppliers in Gosport and were able to work their way up the chain of command to identify couriers, operational managers and ultimately the two heads of the OCG, Anthony and Brian Siner.

Anthony oversaw the Siner OCG, running heroin and crack cocaine through Gosport, while Brian controlled operations in Plymouth from his prison cell where he was coming to the end of a 14 year sentence for previous drugs supply offences in Liverpool.

The County Line – which marketed itself as a brand known as the ‘Scouse Dave’ line – had been embedded in Gosport for a number of years, with local police officers conducting regular disruption and intervention work to target distributors and remove drugs from the supply chain.

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Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy, District Commander for Fareham and Gosport, said: “County Lines gangs like the Siner organised crime group inflict misery on communities, peddling drugs, preying on the vulnerable, and engaging in serious violence and anti-social behaviour.

“The police work into this criminal network ensured the problem was eradicated from the roots up, taking out key players and ultimately the two heads of the OCG – the Siner brothers.

“As well as convicting and jailing gang members, a number of them have been ordered to pay back millions in their ill-gotten gains. This will hang over their head indefinitely, and any assets they accrue in the future will be seized from them in order to pay this back.

“In addition, we have also successfully secured Serious Crime Prevention Orders to enforce further prohibitions on the Siners when they are released from prison to prevent further criminality.

“This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our colleagues in Merseyside Police and Devon & Cornwall Police, in addition to the Crown Prosecution Service who presented the case to the courts.

“These gangs are not welcome, and police and partners will continue to work together in this way to disrupt those who infiltrate and bring harm to our towns and cities.”

Detective Sergeant Peter Sloan from Merseyside Police said: “Danny Venning’s sentencing marks the final chapter in what has been a complex and far‑reaching investigation, bringing the total number of offenders convicted to seventeen and resulting in more than 91 years of imprisonment.

“This operation has dismantled an organised crime group that caused significant harm across parts of the UK, including Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth.

“Thanks to the ongoing work of Hampshire police, Devon & Cornwall Police and Merseyside’s dedicated county lines team, Project Medusa, further court orders have been secured against several significant members of the group, which will restrict their ability to return to the same criminal activity and profit from their offending.

“These orders send a clear message: we will not allow criminals to profit from the misery they inflict. We will continue to use every power available to disrupt organised crime and protect the public.”

The other sentences brought about by the investigation can be found below:

• Anthony Siner, aged 38, of Monterey Road, Liverpool pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for 17 years and 7 months.
• Brian Siner, aged 42, of Clint Way, Liverpool pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for 15 years and 9 months.
• Gareth Roberts, aged 44, of York Road in Southend-on-Sea, Essex – pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for 6 years and 9 months. Roberts acted as a courier for the operation, collecting cash and delivering drugs to Gosport and Plymouth.
• Adam Hughes, aged 39, of Speedwell Lane in Heathfield, East Sussex, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for 8 and a half years. Hughes was an operational manager who had a significant role in the conspiracy.
• Gary Cranney, aged 41, of Eldonian Way in Liverpool, who has pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, was jailed for 7 years. Cranney was also an operational manager working under the Siners.
• Demi Hannon, aged 28, of Gorst Street, Liverpool, who has pleaded guilty to participation in the criminal activities of an Organised Crime Group, was given a two year Community Order, comprising 25 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and 150 hours unpaid work.