Members of a 24/7 drugs supply gang who offered a special discount on cocaine to mark the release of a Premier League footballer’s kidnapped father have been jailed for more than 63 years.

The group sent a message on their ‘graft phone’ to 9,000 customers after former Liverpool FC forward Luis Diaz’s father was released in November 2023, having been held captive for 13 days by Colombian guerrillas.

In a bid to boost sales, the group wrote: “3 for £75 for the next hour to celebrate Luis Diaz dad getting released in the Colombian jungle…”

Paul Lockyer, 42, of Birkdale, Merseyside, who played a leading role in the group, and his seven Liverpool-based accomplices were today jailed for 63 years and eight months in total at Liverpool Crown Court, following an investigation by the specialist Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership – comprising officers from the National Crime Agency and Merseyside Police.

Lockyer, known by his co-conspirators as “the big fella”, and his right-hand man James Neary, 57, of no fixed abode, worked with a network of people to produce, sell and supply two variants of cocaine – high-purity ‘flake’ and adulterated ‘mix’ – across Liverpool.

Group members worked shifts to fulfil hundreds of orders for the drug, which they stored at houses across Liverpool.

Officers believe Lockyer used profits from the sales to fund a luxury lifestyle in which he wore designer jewellery and clothes, holidayed on private yachts and drove expensive cars.

Unknown to Lockyer, OCP investigators were gathering evidence of the group’s offending and observed members meeting to collect drugs and exchange the mobile phone they used to take orders 24-hours a day.

Paul McArdle, 33, of Netherton was one of the main operators of the phone and organised cocaine deliveries.

Christopher Horrocks, 46, of Sefton and Stephen Lynch, 38, of Netherton managed drug deals and the re-stocking of cocaine. Horrocks was additionally responsible for topping up the phone, so it was always in action.Michelle Higgins, 39, looked after a central store of cocaine at her home address on Clock Tower Drive, Liverpool, which is also where orders were prepared.

Lee Nugent, 46, of Sefton was a dealer while his partner Julie McCafferty, 43, helped run the graft phone, prepared drugs and instructed group members where to deliver them.

On 6 May 2025, Merseyside officers raided a number of addresses linked to the group and arrested all eight members.

They arrested Lockyer and Neary at Higgins’ house, where they found the phone in the kitchen, next to a kilo block of cocaine and a large quantity of adulterant.

Across the investigation, officers recovered 874g of cocaine with a street value of around £89k, as well equipment to mix drugs and approximately £3,500 cash believed to be profit from drugs sales.

Investigators found more than 9,000 contacts saved on the graft phone, believed to belong to customers. They recovered thousands of messages detailing hundreds of drugs sales a day, and advertising special offers and “delivery to your door”.

In one AI-generated video, the group promoted a discount on ‘flake’ for Christmas.A drugs expert, in his evidence for the case, stated that he had “never encountered a drugs line as well run”.It’s estimated that between October 2023 and May 2025, the group dealt at least 9.9kg of cocaine, making upwards of £620,000 from deals.

Cocaine is one of the most harmful drugs in the UK, linked to thousands of deaths.

NCA Senior Manager Jon Hughes of Merseyside OCP, said: “The group’s criminal enterprise was like a fast food delivery service for drugs, with cocaine rapidly dispatched to hundreds of people every day and promotions offered that would keep people coming back for more.

“The cocaine trade causes significant harm, including fuelling horrendous violence on our streets. Every order this group fulfilled, caused more harm to people and communities in Liverpool. It’s really significant that we have shut down Lockyer’s illicit business and ensured its members are now behind bars.”

All eight criminals were sentenced today [9 February], having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on 10 June 2025.

9 February 2026