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Upton man jailed for more than nine years after £121,000 found in carrier bag

Luke Holleron, of Rake Lane, was jailed after a joint Merseyside Police and National Crime Agency investigation into organised crime.

Luke Raymond Holleron Upton man mugshot.
Luke Raymond Holleron was jailed after police found more than £121,000 in cash while searching his home. Photo: Merseyside Police.

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An Upton man has been jailed for nine years and four months after an investigation that began with more than £121,000 being found in a carrier bag.

Luke Raymond Holleron, 34, of Rake Lane, was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Monday 9 November.

He had admitted being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs, cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis, and three counts of possessing criminal property.

The case was investigated by the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint team from Merseyside Police and the National Crime Agency.

On 1 November 2024, officers on patrol in Liverpool city centre stopped a car driven by Paul Howard on New Islington after he appeared nervous and agitated.

In the vehicle, police found a carrier bag with more than £121,000 in banknotes and two phones. The cash was later forfeited.

A fingerprint on the bag was identified as Holleron's.

Police say Howard was working as a cash courier for a number of organised crime groups, and was involved in moving, storing and counting £734,175 between August and September 2024.

Holleron was linked to the movement of £170,640, and investigators said he had a managerial role.

When officers searched his Upton home in January this year they found cash, small amounts of cocaine and cannabis, foreign currency, designer goods and two phones.

Howard, 58, of Bell Road, Egremont, admitted conspiracy to possess criminal property. He was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, with 300 hours of unpaid work and a probation requirement.

Jon Hughes, co-head of the Merseyside Organised Crime Partnership, said: "Innocent lives are being destroyed by organised crime groups who peddle misery and we will continue to protect communities by bringing offenders to justice."

In August we reported on a Prenton drug dealer jailed for five and a half years.

Information about organised crime can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or to Merseyside Police on 101.

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