Liverpool drug boss Christopher Welsh Jr ran a £200m empire—then kept dealing even from prison.
Christopher Welsh Jr, the Liverpool crime boss dubbed the “Scouse Escobar,” built a £200m drug empire with his father before his arrest in 2013. But even a hefty prison sentence couldn’t stop him. Within months, he was back in business, trafficking heroin and cocaine from behind bars.
Operating with military precision, Welsh Jr and his father orchestrated a vast smuggling network, flooding Glasgow’s streets with Class A drugs. The gang’s couriers made at least 111 trips, disguising themselves as commuters while transporting up to two kilograms per trip. The sheer scale of their operation meant even multimillion-pound drug seizures barely dented their supply lines.
Despite being unemployed, Welsh Jr flaunted his wealth like a cartel boss. He travelled frequently to Mexico, Spain, Holland, Greece, and Egypt, splashing cash on extravagant holidays. In 2011, he blew £57,000 to fly his friends to Cancun for his stag do and wedding. His arrogance knew no bounds—his entourage wore “Pablo’s Stag Do” t-shirts, a brazen nod to Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar.
Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson said: “He obviously thought he was untouchable. How else does a jobless man afford to take 40 people on a lavish trip? The answer is simple: drug money.”
The gang’s structure was ruthless. While Welsh Jr and his right-hand man, Mark Shields, raked in fortunes, lower-level gang members—many on benefits—were coerced into storing drugs or working as couriers to pay off debts. Their network stretched from Kirkdale, Walton, and Everton to Scotland, where warehousemen stockpiled drugs.
Welsh Jr controlled his empire using at least 43 untraceable mobile phones, directing couriers and arranging deals from the shadows. Despite law enforcement’s best efforts, the gang remained elusive.
Police cracked down hard in October 2012, arresting one courier after his 19th smuggling trip. A series of coordinated raids followed, leading to a string of high-profile arrests. One gang member hurled a briefcase full of heroin out of a window as officers stormed an Everton safe house. Inside, police found a 10-tonne press and moulds used to package heroin into solid blocks.
Yet, even after being handed a lengthy prison sentence, Welsh Jr refused to quit. Within two months, he resumed drug trafficking from behind bars, orchestrating a new operation worth millions.
Judge David Aubrey KC condemned the gang, saying: “While you revelled in wealth, addicts lay in alleyways, desperate for their next fix. You cared not.”
Welsh Jr now faces even more time behind bars. But his story serves as a chilling reminder of the untouchable mindset of Britain’s drug kingpins—and the extreme lengths they go to keep their empires running.
