Wirral man jailed for ‘Kinder Egg’ Class A drugs offences

Merseyside Police has welcomed the sentencing of a Wirral man to prison for possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Terence Holden, 45, of Rodney Street, Tranmere, was sentenced to five years and three months at Liverpool Crown Court this week after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.

On the 19 August 2020, Holden was arrested by officers following the execution of a drugs warrant at a house in the Harrowby Road area of Birkenhead, where over 300 individual wraps of heroin and crack cocaine were seized.

He was further arrested on 29 August 2020 when officers executed a warrant at an address in Tranmere, where Holden was wanted for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. During a search in custody, Holden was found with a quantity of cash and crack cocaine on his person. A Kinder egg was also attributed to Holden, which was found to contain Class A drugs.

Detective Inspector Chris Smith of Operation Hammer, the Force-Wide drug Investigation Team, said: “Thanks to some smart police work and support from our partners in the NHS, as well as members of the public, Terence Holden is now behind bars.

“We’re committed to pursuing and putting before the courts those who supply drugs in Merseyside. We sadly see the damage that Class A drugs causes within our communities on a daily basis, and we’ll see if Holden considers the harm he has done as he serves his jail time.

Community Policing Sergeant Alan McKeon said: “Our local policing team has been working closely for some time with detectives to identify drug dealers in the Birkenhead area as part of Operation Hammer.

“Our success so far is also down to members of the community who have come forward with vital information. I’d like to thank them for this support and continue working together going forward – Tranmere remains a priority area for this issue, so please do contact us or Crimestoppers with any concerns and we’ll do all we can to help.

Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. You can also contact our social media desk on Twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information .