Huyton man jailed after £2.6m cocaine haul found in van
Paul McNabb had the class A drug stashed in shopping bags
A man from Huyton has been sentenced to ten years and eight months in prison after 38 blocks of cocaine were discovered in a van in Roby.
Paul McNabb, 40, of Queensbury Grove, was sentenced on Thursday 13th August after admitting a string of drug offences.
Officers stopped and searched a grey Volkswagen van on Bridge Road in Roby at around midday on 7th July.
Inside the vehicle they found four large shopping bags containing blocks of white powder, which later tested positive for cocaine.
McNabb, who was driving the van, was arrested at the scene and later charged with drug offences.
Merseyside Police said the cocaine had an estimated street value of around £2.6 million.
On Friday 7th August, McNabb pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a controlled Class A drug, namely cocaine, conspiracy to supply cocaine, and conspiracy to supply cannabis.
He was also linked to the EncroChat handle 'mangomilk', which police said had been used to conspire to supply kilogram quantities of Class A and B drugs in 2020.
According to Merseyside Police, McNabb gave away clues to his identity while using the encrypted platform, including sending pictures of his address and a view from his living room window.
He also revealed details about his family and was saved as 'Big P' by other EncroChat users, police said.
Officers said a review of his messages found evidence of him transferring cash to an account in Dubai, and showed him being concerned in the supply of kilogram amounts of cocaine and cannabis.
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Stratton said:
"The sheer volume of cocaine found in the van showed that McNabb was involved in the highest echelons of the drugs world with a street value estimated to be in the region of £2.6 million.
"The van contained a significant amount of hard class A drugs which we have intercepted and removed from our streets.
"Thankfully McNabb did the right thing and pleaded guilty to his crimes. I hope he will now spend time behind bars reflecting on the misery he has helped cause to families and communities by flooding the streets with drugs.
"Serious organised crime gangs are massive blight to our communities where drugs are closely linked to serious violence, involving firearm and knife crime.
"I hope this sentencing shows that Merseyside Police will leave no stone unturned in our pursuit of people who think they are above the law, and we will continue to target criminals by thoroughly examining any evidence, messages and images we find," Gary Stratton said.