A crook who shamelessly basked in his drug dealing efforts by decorating his Christmas tree in money and bags of cocaine has been jailed.
Marvin Porcelli photographed his festive drug decorations, only for police to use the image against him in court as evidence of his Class A crimes.
The 47-year-old played a key role in a major drugs gang which cops took down this year, meaning some of the kingpins didn’t get to decorate their trees with such panache this year.
Porcelli was linked to around 1kg of cocaine discovered when police raided his partner’s home on March 1 of this year.
According to the information which detectives gathered Porcelli played an “operational function” in a network of criminals described by Judge Anil Murray as running “a large, professional, sophisticated, well-planned, well-organised and successful” operation.
Liverpool Crown Court heard he was involved in the storage, couriering, cutting and supply of drugs on behalf of those higher up the enterprise, with Judge Murray telling him: “The conspiracy could not have operated without the actions you took.
Officers forced their way into the Wavertree home, where they found Porcelli and asked him whether there were any drugs at the property. He simply replied: “Class A drugs.”
In the searches that followed they recovered two containers each holding almost 500g of cocaine under the pillows on a bed. The drugs were given a combined estimated value of at least £37,000, report Liverpool Echo.
When they raided his own home in Gray Street, Bootle, three weeks later, police found tick lists and wraps of “white powder” - including one retrieved from a pair of Ralph Lauren shorts.
The photo of the Christmas tree was retrieved from one of several phones also recovered.
Porcelli admitted conspiracies to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis.
The court heard Porcelli was a carer and had become involved in criminality due to drug debts - but that he was now drug-free.
He was jailed for seven years and six months.
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
