Key Takeaways:
- Francis Coggins, co-leader of the Huyton Firm, was caught in the Netherlands after five years on the run and sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in a large-scale drug trafficking operation.
- Coggins and his brother Vincent, who was previously jailed for 28 years, led a gang that imported over a tonne of class A drugs into the UK, with a minimum wholesale value of over £16m.
- The gang used a sophisticated scheme involving UPS packages and corrupt workers to distribute the drugs to other UK gangs.
- Francis Coggins was responsible for organizing the importation of drugs from mainland Europe, while his brother Vincent focused on the domestic operation, supplying cocaine and heroin across England, Wales, and Scotland.
- The gang’s operation was disrupted in 2020, when one of their stash houses was raided and £1m of cocaine was stolen, leading to a blackmail plot to recover the stolen drugs.
Introduction to the Huyton Firm
The Huyton Firm, a notorious crime group, was led by two brothers, Francis and Vincent Coggins. Francis, the co-leader, remained on the run for five years after his brother Vincent was arrested and jailed in 2020. However, Francis’s freedom was short-lived, as he was eventually caught by Dutch police in the coastal town of Zandvoort, where he had been living and operating. The 60-year-old was arrested for being drunk and disorderly, and his identity was discovered, leading to his extradition to the UK.
The Drug Trafficking Operation
Francis Coggins played a crucial role in the Huyton Firm’s drug trafficking operation, which involved importing class A drugs from mainland Europe into the UK. He organized the importation of drugs, negotiating with international suppliers and using an elaborate scheme involving UPS packages to distribute the drugs to other UK gangs. The gang used genuine account numbers, predominately for unsuspecting clothing companies, to send the packages, which were then intercepted by corrupt workers and passed on to couriers for distribution. Over the course of a year, the gang imported over a tonne of class A drugs, with a minimum wholesale value of over £16m.
The Roles of Francis and Vincent Coggins
Francis Coggins was responsible for the physical handling of drugs, inspecting the quality of the drugs, and putting them into the UPS system. His brother Vincent, on the other hand, focused on the domestic operation, supplying cocaine and heroin across England, Wales, and Scotland. While Vincent was the driving force behind the conspiracy to blackmail and recover stolen drugs, Francis was kept informed about the situation and counseled his brother on how to identify those responsible. The two brothers were equals, each with their own areas of responsibility, and were referred to as "gaffa" or "headmaster" by other members of the gang.
The Blackmail Plot
In May 2020, one of the gang’s stash houses was raided, and £1m of cocaine was stolen. Vincent Coggins took the lead in seeking to identify the culprits and recover the stolen drugs, blackmailing and threatening the family he believed responsible. Francis Coggins was kept informed about the situation and asked his brother how many people were "terrified" of him. The blackmail plot ultimately led to the arrest of several members of the gang, including Vincent Coggins, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
The Sentencing of Francis Coggins
Francis Coggins was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the large-scale drug trafficking operation. The judge disagreed with the mitigation that Francis was not the leader of the crime group, stating that he was directing or organizing the buying and selling of drugs on a commercial scale. Francis Coggins muttered "thank you" after learning his sentence, which was handed down after he pleaded guilty to a series of drugs charges. The sentencing brings an end to the Huyton Firm’s operation, which was disrupted in 2020, and marks a significant victory for law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat organized crime.