‘Billy the Kid’ put his arm around his half brother at they too were locked up following an undercover police operation
20:02, 10 Feb 2026Updated 20:04, 10 Feb 2026
Kerry Grice, 49, wiped away tears as she was jailed(Image: Merseyside Police)
A nan was left in tears as she was jailed after police discovered a haul of drugs worth more than £200,000 in her home. Kerry Grice was described as a “warehouseperson” involved in the storage of ketamine and cannabis on behalf of Taylor McArthur, known as “Billy the Kid”.
But an undercover police operation left him embracing his half brother Thomas Mee as they too were locked up this afternoon, with relatives heard shouting “love you son” and clapping and cheering as their sentences were passed. It came after a further stash of illicit substances in Everton FC branded packaging was found inside his waterfront flat and his DNA was detected on a lethal firearm hidden in an industrial unit.
Liverpool Crown Court heard today, Tuesday, that Merseyside Police conducted an investigation, codenamed Operation Goodfellow, involving the undertaking of covert surveillance and the analysis of call records, cell siting data and vehicle movements, using automatic number plate recognition cameras, between January 2023 and June 2025. This identified McArthur as the head of a drug supply ring at the centre of this probe, with his half brother Mee being described as the “junior partner” as he stored and dealt cannabis on behalf of his sibling.
Ken Grant, prosecuting, detailed how Grice was linked to the conspiracy via her daughter’s partner, who was not charged with any offences but believed to have acted as a courier as part of the operation.
The 49-year-old allowed her home to be used as a “safehouse in which to store drugs” and “acted as a warehouseperson, facilitating the collection and supply of drugs and cash”.
McArthur and a third man, Bradley Roberts, were meanwhile observed by officers visiting one another’s houses, with numerous messages exchanged between the two said to have related to the supply of drugs. On one occasion, on January 11 2023, the former was seen getting out of a vehicle driven by his dad on Burghill Road in West Derby and passing a carrier bag through the driver’s side window of another car before both drove away.
A text sent on this day, which was later discovered on a phone seized from the 25-year-old’s then home on nearby Tiptree Close, made reference to the “distribution of a sizeable sum” of £50,000 in cash. Another message from McArthur on January 27 then referred to him needing “10 or 15 rounds of ammunition”.
Taylor McArthur, of Regent Road, aged 25
On November 29 the same year, he was then identified as the driver of a Mercedes car which travelled from his home address to the Formby area before returning around 90 minutes later.
McArthur was searched by police as he returned home from this journey, although no items of interest were discovered by officers. However, the other male was found to have phoned Grice at this time while using a cell mast located close to where the stop and search was taking place.
The same evening, McArthur first activated the fourth of several mobile phones which were attributed to him before Grice’s daughter’s partner attended his address the following day. Both men were then seen unloading items from the boot of the taxi and taking them into the house.
That afternoon, Mee, of Dovecot Avenue, Dovecot, was “observed coming and going” from the property in his car and “making short stops as other persons got into the vehicle before getting out almost immediately”. Having then collected his partner and two young children from a shop, the 30-year-old made one final visit to McArthur’s home before he was stopped on Dwerryhouse Lane in Norris Green.
Police also went on to search an address linked to Mee on Tancred Road in Anfield. In total, a combined 11.5kg of the class B drug, worth between £60,900 and £119,305, was seized from the car and house on this occasion.
A warrant was then executed at Grice’s home on Archer Close in Kirkdale on January 11 2024, at which stage she admitted to PCs that she had drugs stored in her back room. This led to the discovery of 1.73kg of ketamine, worth between £34,780 and £69,560, a total of 13.69kg of cannabis, valued in the region of £68,450 to £136,900, and 412g of cannabis bush, worth up to £6,180, as well as £11,750 in cash.
A unit in an industrial estate on Powderworks Lane in Melling, rented by Roberts, was raided on February 6, with officers seizing a Skorpion submachine gun, two semi-automatic pistols and a quantity of ammunition, as well as a stash of 301kg of ketamine. One of the weapons, a Ceonic branded handgun, was found to contain McArthur’s DNA on the end of the barrel, the muzzle and foresight.
When arrested six days later, Roberts provided a prepared statement to detectives, in which he claimed that he had leased the site “with another person or persons, but was fearful of naming them”. The 25-year-old, of St Andrews Close in Maghull, also stated that he had “no idea” of the existence of the illicit contents of the container and “denied ownership of the drugs and firearms”, as well as a motorbike, quadbike and pedal cycle which were recovered therein.
Bradley Roberts, of St Andrews Close in Maghull, aged 25
McArthur was then detained himself on April 4 2024 at his home address, with officers recovering an Alcatel mobile phone which showed him being referred to as “Billy the Kid”, “the Kid Billy” and “the Kid Bill”. With no persons being present at the time, he was later located as the passenger of a Ford tipper van which was found stationary nearby.
Mee had also been behind the wheel at this time and was again arrested on suspicion of drug driving after failing a roadside test. McArthur meanwhile gave a prepared statement under interview “denying all knowledge” of the items which has been seized from the industrial unit.
Then, on December 19 2024, police attended his apartment in the Tobacco Warehouse on Stanley Dock and arrested both him and his partner. He confessed that he had a “large quantity” of drugs stored in one of the bedrooms, with officers discovering two blocks of cannabis resin which were branded with the Everton FC badge, with the total of 7.7kg being valued at between £40,000 and £80,000.
Further empty and used foil pouches and snap bags labelled “Everton Road Hash Centre” were similarly seized, as were bars of cannabis resin bearing the words “El Classico”. These were said to have weighed a combined 4.7kg and been worth £25,000 to £50,000.
Also seized from the address was nearly £13,000 in cash, “high value” clothing and jewellery and a Surron e-bike, as well as a key and card for a safety deposit box within the Liver Building. McArthur’s partner was said to have sole access to this vault, which was found to contain a further £60,080 in Bank of England notes.
Having been released on bail, he was the arrested again during a further search of the flat on Regent Road in Vauxhall on June 19 last year. Cannabis resin worth around £1,000 and £6,095 in cash was seized from the address on this occasion.
McArthur has one previous conviction, having received an 18-month detention and training order for wounding in 2018. His counsel Daniel Travers told the court: “He knows that he is going to receive a very long prison sentence today.
“It is clear that this was a thorough investigation. There was clearly active surveillance as well as phone downloads, and 99 per cent of the recovered evidence points to the defendant being involved in the supply of cannabis.
“The evidence in relation to class A drugs falls on two days only. My submission is that this is someone trying to get access into the business of selling kilograms [of cocaine], but there is no actual evidence of having sold any kilograms.
“This case is now two years post his first arrest, three years post the cocaine messages and two years since the firearm was seized. For a young man in particular, that is a significant period of his adult life. The court will no doubt consider his age at the time.
“He knows that it was his choice to become involved in the supply of cannabis. He has done his best in custody. He intends, upon his release, to live with his mother and work for his grandparents. He is particularly affected by the health of his grandparents and that his offending has caused them stress and heartache.”
Mee meanwhile has two previous convictions, both relating to drug driving in 2024 and 2025. Stephen McNally, defending, said: “The scope of this particular defendant’s involvement is more limited. There is very little mention of him prior to the events in November 2023, and, in effect, that is the end of his involvement.
“He played what is described as a junior role, effectively an employee and not a shareholder. He is not a main player or regarded as such. He was clearly involved in direct, street dealing to users. He says that he was paid a fee. It is quite apparent that he was acting as a courier of that large amount.
Thomas Mee, of Dovecot Avenue, aged 30
“He was, at that time, a heavy cannabis user himself. He had been dealing with mental health issues for some considerable period. To his credit, he was seeking assistance in dealing with those matters of his own volition.
“His involvement in the offending was instigated by a combination of circumstances. Firstly, and most significantly, the loss of his employment in the early part of 2023. That came not long after losing his grandfather.
“There is a letter written to the court by the defendant himself. It is an articulate and genuine submission of remorse. It sets out his intentions for the future. It will be immediately apparent how important his young family is to him. There are powerful sentiments expressed of his regret.
“Your honour will have read what he has done to improve his situation while he has been in custody. He has completed courses with the intention of increasing his employability at the end of his sentence, designed to ensure that he can provide for the family that he sees as so pivotal in his life and designed to ensure he does not find himself in the chair he is sitting in today. This is a young man who can rehabilitate himself and be a positive contributor in the future.”
Grice’s criminal record shows four convictions for six offences, but none since 2014. Cheryl Mottram said in mitigation: “Your honour will have read the letter from Ms Grice. She does take responsibility for her actions, but she has grappled somewhat with why she has allowed herself to be drawn into this type of behaviour.
“It is very much out of character for the woman that Ms Grice is and the woman that her family know her to be. It has been difficult for her to reconcile the choices that she made with the person she actually is.”
Grice was seen wiping her eyes with a tissue as Ms Mottram added: “She has been in custody for almost eight months and has had the opportunity to reflect on the choices that she has made and the impact it has had on her family. It has had an impact on her children and grandchildren. It is perhaps that fact that has weighed most heavily.
“It is the thought of her family that gives her the most motivation to put these matters behind her and move on. She has very much got on with her time in custody and has done her best to make improvements to her own situation. She has accessed education. She has put time and effort into that side of her time in custody.”
Roberts has no previous convictions. His barrister Fiona McNeill said on his behalf: “The pre-sentence report indicates that, at the time, the defendant was using ketamine. He started purchasing more ketamine and supplying to his peers on a social basis. He was 23 at the time of the offending and was clearly surrounded by those who were perhaps more sophisticated than himself.
“Clearly, the greatest sort of mitigation for him is the absence of any convictions whatsoever. He can properly be regarded as man of positive good character. All of the referees speak extremely highly and positively of him and provide powerful and compelling descriptions of him. Of course, this offending has blighted that good character.
“I would invite the court to have regard to his age and his positive upbringing. He has a stable relationship and has done for a number of years, which provides a positive influence for him and provides a protective factor in terms of any negative influence upon him. He has expressed genuine remorse and has demonstrated insight into the impact of his offending. As significant is that he has now rid himself of any reliance which he may have had on ketamine.”
McArthur admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and possession of a prohibited weapon. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool wearing a grey tracksuit top, he was jailed for 10 years and 10 months.
Grice pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession of ketamine with intent to supply. Wearing a black blazer over a black dress in the dock, she was locked up for three years and nine months.
Kerry Grice, of Archer Close, aged 49
Mee admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis. Also appearing remotely from Walton prison while wearing a grey polo shirt, he was given three years behind bars.
Roberts pleaded guilty to possession of ketamine with intent to supply. Appearing in the dock wearing a grey jacket over a grey t-shirt, he was handed 27 months.
Sentencing, Judge David Potter said: “It is important to begin with what is obvious, but bears repeating. The misuse of cannabis, ketamine and cocaine causes devastation to the people who take them and the families who try their best to support them. They blight the communities in which addicts live and dealers operate.
“As is seen in this case, organised crime gangs have access to a cache of lethal firearms and ammunition. As recent cases have shown to chilling effect, weapons of this type have been used in targeted incidents and indiscriminately fired at people who have been killed after being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“Society must pick up the human and other costs of this trade. I note that the widespread use of ketamine is an increasing problem on Merseyside which is literally corrosive to the bodies of those who take it.
“For those who think that cannabis is a benign lifestyle choice, think again. Long term misuse exacerbates mental health issues. It is itself a pathway to criminal activity that can lead users to deal both class A and B drugs.”
“Your case, Taylor McArthur, is made much more serious by the possession of a lethal prohibited handgun. The drugs trade into which you descended is punctuated by violence, and organised crime groups have access to firearms as a tool of menace.”
To Mee, the judge said: “I note the element of unsophisticated methods by use of your own vehicle which, to your shame, included your children when it was stopped. You are not entrenched in serious and organised crime and were yourself a heavy user of cannabis.
“I accept your expression of remorse in your letter. It is of note to this court that your son’s fifth birthday is being spent serving a sentence for conspiracy to supply drugs rather than at his birthday party.”
Judge Potter then told Grice: “You are clearly a much loved member of a close family. You have impressed those in custody while you have been there. Those involved in the widespread supply of drugs need willing hands like yours to store and harbour the proceeds of crime.”
Clapping and cheers were heard in the public gallery as McArthur learned his sentence, with some of his supporters seen to be in tears. Mee meanwhile sat with his hands held together in front of his face as he was jailed, with his half brother having placed an arm around his shoulder.
One woman then shouted “love you son” as they left the video link booth. Roberts meanwhile nodded to his family and mouthed “ok” as he was handed an immediate prison term, with his mum left in tears after the judge told him: “You were yourself a heavy ketamine user, but have used your time constructively and have also gotten rid of your ketamine addiction.”