Multi-million pounds drug trafficker "Lawless Fly" refused to attend court as his house was seized from him.

Liam McHale funded a lavish lifestyle by trading in more than £5m of heroin and cocaine. The "greedy" dad, who had a legitimate £40,000-a-year job, was handed a lengthy prison term last year.

He was due to appear back before Liverpool Crown Court last week for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act. David Birrell, defending, told the court that his client had "refused to attend" but said they had "reached agreement" with the prosecution with regards to his overall benefit from criminality and available assets.

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Charles Lander, prosecuting, outlined how he was found to have netted a total of £2,738,544 as a result of his involvement in the underworld. His current assets meanwhile stand at £48,379.80, this being a 60% share of equity in the marital home on Rexmore Road in Mossley Hill.

Judge Louise Brandon ordered McHale to pay this sum up within three months on Thursday, October 26. He will otherwise be required to serve an additional 18 months in jail in default.

The same court heard in November last year that the 35-year-old operated on encrypted communications platform EncroChat and was involved in the supply of "multi kilo amounts" of heroin, cocaine and cannabis using the handle LawlessFly. Mr Lander described on this occasion how McHale had an "extensive network" of 65 other users saved in his contact list and detailed his business in notes saved on his phone.

But this "meticulous ledger" would prove his undoing after law enforcement agencies gained access to the messaging service in 2020. These notes and texts exchanged with other criminals revealed he had been involved in the supply of 84kg of cocaine, 13kg of heroin and 26kg of cannabis and the transfer of around £5.5m in cash.

McHale had a "very close relationship" with fellow Encro user "GenericBull" and had also been in contact with "GeneWilder", "BushyHead", "GolfBag" and "SnowEmu". The latter was previously discovered to have been used by Jordan Hughes, a 31-year-old dad-of-two from Roby who was handed 12 years in 2021.

When police raided McHale's home in January 2022, officers seized "high value" watches, jewellery, clothing and shoes. A crypto mining rig was found set up in the garage of the property, which he had purchased for £270,000 in May 2020.

In messages, he spoke of buying a Rolex watch for £24,000 and bragged about "joining an expensive golf club in Formby" and shopping at a Louis Vuitton store. McHale - who has no previous convictions - had been working for a plastics firm but was furloughed during the Covid-19 pandemic, then moved to a £40k job as a telecoms engineer.

Mr Birrell meanwhile told the court that his client was a "broker" and a "middle man" in the drugs trade. The "loyal, kind, caring and dedicated" father had acted as carer to his disabled mum and was said to have taken part in fundraising events for charity, and had gained a job working in the staff canteen in HMP Altcourse.

The defence counsel added: "He is a hard-working man. He is remorseful. He acknowledges he is an embarrassment to his parents, hard-working people. Mr McHale feels like he has let them down.

"He also feels like he has let down his partner and his little boy, who is only 13 months old. The defendant will miss a significant period of his childhood.

"He has distanced himself from his previous associates. He says he will accept any sentence that comes his way and when released he wants to turn his life around, above all for his son."

McHale admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, cocaine and cannabis and money laundering. He was jailed for 11 years.

Sentencing, Recorder Ciaran Rankin said: "You were an important cog in this organisation. This was a sophisticated enterprise, designed to sow confusion and difficulty for any investigating authority.

"You are of previous good character, which makes it all the more astonishing to find someone like you in the position you are in. You are a well thought of, intelligent man.

"You have been in employment in a good, well paid job. It reveals a rather unhealthy greed on your behalf."

McHale told the judge he would "move forward" as the hearing concluded. He added: "Sincere apologies for putting everyone in this position."

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