A bug which police planted inside his Mercedes gave officers instructions how to locate the bounty of weapons
One of two Skorpion submachine guns recovered from a flat on Condron Road North in Litherland(Image: Merseyside Police)
A drug dealer who called himself “the Boss Man” kept Skorpion submachine guns hidden inside a secret hole in the walls of a flat. Joshua Hayes and his co-conspirators arranged for a plasterer to carry out work on the apartment in order to ensure that the deadly weapons could be hidden away from the police.
But a bug which officers had planted inside his Mercedes ultimately provided instructions on how to locate the bounty of weapons. It came as he built up a lucrative cocaine trafficking business worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, having been caught boasting that his graft phone alone was worth £200,000.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Thursday, that Merseyside Police initially searched two flats on Condron Road North in Litherland on July 13 last year, believing that firearms were being kept inside. While they did not discover any such weapons at this stage, detectives then reviewed materials which had been obtained “as a result of a device within Mr Hayes’ car”.
Nicola Daley, prosecuting, described how this related to conversations between the 34-year-old and co-defendants Anthony Bennett, James Harrison and Georgie Medway which had taken place inside the Mercedes three weeks earlier on June 21 2024. This saw them discuss enlisting a plaster in order to ensure that the firearms were kept “proper safe” in a “hole in the wall”.
This led to officers returning to one of the flats, the address of drug user Michael Caldwell, and drilling through a newly plastered and redecorated area. They then recovered three separate bags wrapped inside a tea towel, each containing a firearm, from inside a “void” in the walls.
The weapons in question were found to be two Czech-manufactured Skorpion submachine guns and a self-loading pistol. Several expanding bullets, designed to explode upon hitting a surface in order to cause maximum damage, were also recovered from alongside the automatic firearms.
Caldwell’s DNA was recovered from the trigger guard one of the Skorpions and the rear hand grip of the other. Medway’s DNA was similarly recovered from the latter while the former contained the DNA of teenager Thomas Ball, who was also forensically linked to the pistol.
A self-loading pistol recovered from a flat on Condron Road North in Litherland(Image: Merseyside Police)
The seizure came against the background of a “large scale street dealing operation” which was being run by Hayes, who wore a blue Asics tracksuit in the dock and sported short dark hair. Ms Daley detailed how this saw him supply class A drugs to a “lot of different customers”, with the listening device having also recorded him discussing how he estimated the phone which he used to ply his trade to be worth in the region of £200,000.
Hayes was meanwhile heard to tell his associates that he “supplied about a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine every five days”, the line having been active “between midday and 2 o’clock in the morning every day”. He was also heard describing himself to others as “the Boss Man”.
Ms Daley added: “Overall, the crown would submit that, over the period of January up to the 15th of July, there was a supply of approximately 9kg of cocaine. The wholesale value of that amount would likely be in the region of £252,000 to £324,000, with the potential street supply being worth about £360,000 to £900,000.”
Hayes was found to have laundered tens of thousands of pounds of his proceeds through the Monzo and Revolut bank accounts of Kayla Wilson and left others, including Aaron O’Brien, in charge of his graft phone for periods of time when he was holidaying abroad in locations including Turkey. The home address of Stephen Sutter was meanwhile used for “bagging up” drugs for onwards supply.
Adam Dean was similarly tasked with manning the line at one stage, seemingly receiving payments of more than £13,000 in order to do so. But he was arrested in possession of the device on June 20 while being carried in a Ford Focus being driven by John Newton.
The audio bug also captured Bennett discussing a “lab” for the production of crack cocaine at the second flat on Condron Road North. This was the home address of Matthew Ball, who was referred to as “G in the Wags” and “G Wags” by his co-defendants.
Searches of this apartment subsequently revealed bags containing 50g and 27g of cocaine, 18 knotted plastic packages amounting to nearly a kilogram of 85 per cent pure crack cocaine and a total of 132g of heroin. Quantities of an adulterant substance, a knuckle duster and other drug paraphernalia were also recovered from the property, which was unoccupied at the time of the raid.
Harrison was meanwhile evidenced to have offered “various different strains of high quality cannabis” for sale via Instagram and Telegram. During the month prior to his arrest, on July 15 last year, alone, he was shown to have offered to supply “in excess of 41kg” to his customers.
Experts estimated that, over the period of six months, this tally would have increased to “very large quantities” of around 248kg. The 28-year-old was also said to have travelled to Manchester alongside Hayes and Bennett on one occasion in order to collect “two large carrier bags”, which were suspected to contain cannabis.
Judge Gary Woodhall had been due to pass sentence on a total of 12 defendants tomorrow, Friday, but will now do so on a later date due to a lack of court time. Matthew Ball, aged 28 and of Willow Way in Croxteth, has admitted supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine and possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply.
Eighteen-year-old Thomas Ball, of Sedburn Road in Kirkby, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possession prohibited firearms, supplying heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine and being concerned in the supply of ketamine and cannabis. Bennett, aged 31 and of Oriel Crescent in Kirkdale, admitted conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms and ammunition for sale or transfer, two counts of conspiracy to possession ammunition without a certificate, conspiracy to supply ketamine and cannabis and production of crack cocaine.
One of two Skorpion submachine guns recovered from a flat on Condron Road North in Litherland(Image: Merseyside Police)
Forty-year-old Caldwell, of Condron Road North in Litherland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms, two counts of conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate and conspiracy to possess prohibited ammunition. Dean, aged 28 and of no fixed address, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Harrison, of Akenside Street in Bootle, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms and ammunition for sale or transfer, two counts of conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate and conspiracy to supply ketamine and cannabis. Hayes, of Ryefield Lane in Litherland, admitted conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunitions, possession of a firearm when prohibited for life, two counts of conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate, conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Medway, aged 21 and of Rosalind Way in Bootle, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms and ammunition for sale or transfer, two counts of conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate, conspiracy to supply ketamine and cannabis and production of crack cocaine. Newton, aged 33 and of Rydal Avenue in Crosby, admitted conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs.
O’Brien, aged 24 and of Sonning Avenue in Litherland, and 33-year-old Wilson, of Eden Vale in Netherton, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property. Sutter, aged 33 and of Osborne Road in Litherland, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to conceal criminal property and possession of cannabis.