The gang was led by Anthony and Brian Siner who embedded Liverpool gang members around southern coastal communities
Danny Venning has been jailed for more than six years(Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police)
A county lines drugs gang operating out of Liverpool and supplying crack cocaine and heroin to the south of England has been further dismantled after one of its senior figures was jailed for more than six years. Danny Venning, described as a “trusted manager” within the network, was sentenced to six years and nine months at Portsmouth Crown Court for his role in a drugs operation running between Liverpool, Gosport and Plymouth.
Venning, 39, of Beatrice Avenue, Lipson, Plymouth, was the final member of the organised crime group to be sentenced following a lengthy investigation supported by Merseyside Police, alongside Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and Devon and Cornwall Police.
The court heard the gang was controlled from Liverpool, with drugs and cash regularly transported to and from the city. Judge Daniel Sawyer said Venning was “at the heart” of the Plymouth operation and played a key role in maintaining the supply line from Liverpool, reports Plymouth Live.
Blank firing handgun linked to drugs gang(Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police)
Judge Sawyer said: “The defendant had the drugs phone line on him when he was arrested and was in possession of multi kilos of drugs. He was very trusted and was in contact with three unknown Plymouth contacts.”
Police recovered quantities of heroin and crack cocaine from Venning’s address at the time of his arrest. Across the wider investigation, officers seized more than 4kg of class A drugs, over £30,000 in cash and a number of weapons.
Between January 2022 and March 2023, the network is believed to have supplied at least 25kg of heroin and crack cocaine in Gosport, along with a further 9.6kg in Plymouth.
The investigation uncovered a Liverpool-based organised crime group led by brothers Anthony and Brian Siner. Anthony oversaw the supply of heroin and crack cocaine into Gosport, while Brian controlled the Plymouth line from prison, where he was nearing the end of a 14-year sentence for previous drugs supply offences in Liverpool.
Anthony and Brian Siner controlled the sophisticated ‘Scouse Dave’ drug line (Image: Hampshire Constabulary)
The county line operated under the brand name “Scouse Dave”, with police identifying a clear “Scouse presence” in Gosport. Gang members travelled from Liverpool to oversee dealing, intimidate rivals and collect cash, which was then transported back to the city.
The court heard the operation ran like a business, with workers paid wages before returning home to their families. Couriers regularly transported drugs south or carried large sums of cash back to Liverpool.
During one such journey in November 2022, police stopped a vehicle near Plymouth and seized around 3kg of heroin and crack cocaine.
Following a series of arrests, police temporarily shut down the drugs line and sent warning messages to users, signposting them to addiction support services. Further warrants were carried out in July 2023, leading to the arrest and charging of the remaining conspirators.
Mobile phone linked to drugs gang(Image: Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police)
Venning pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. In total, 17 people admitted their involvement in the conspiracy and have received more than 85 years in prison.
Detective Sergeant Peter Sloan, from Merseyside Police, said: “This was a complex investigation but thanks to the work of Hampshire Police, Devon and Cornwall and our dedicated county lines team, Project Medusa, we have been able to secure significant sentences.”
Speaking in March, Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy, District Commander for Fareham and Gosport, said: “These gangs are linked to violence, including use of weapons, as well as wider community issues such as anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime. These are not people you want operating in your area.
“The work into the Siner OCG has been phenomenal, and has taken out key members of the gang at all levels, including those with senior oversight. They’ve been cleared out, but there’s still more to do to continue stamping out drugs gangs.
“This work wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our colleagues in Merseyside Police and Devon and Cornwall Police, in addition to the Crown Prosecution Service who presented the case to the courts. Police and partners will continue to work together in this way to disrupt those who infiltrate and bring harm to our towns and cities.”