A “Breaking Bad” pensioner who left his marriage to become a chemsex drug dealer was facing jail today.
Former pub landlord Aaron Milton, 71, ditched his respectable life to join a crime ring supplying drugs including crystal meth to customers in London and Surrey from a one-bedroom flat in Bayswater.
Southwark crown court heard that Milton walked out on his wife and grown-up children in his late sixties and also came out as gay.
Police recovered 12 days of round-the-clock CCTV — apparently filmed by the gang by mistake — showing Milton, ringleader Veerapatra “Ben” Piriyachotworakul, 50, and Liam Pilgrim, 33, preparing drugs to be sold on.
Operating out of a basement flat in Kensington Gardens Square, they stored the drugs in a silver attache case and were filmed bagging them up for delivery or collection.
Prosecutor Bill McGivern said police recovered texts messages between the dealers and clients, including some messages allegedly showing that Milton — known as Ron — was Piriyachotworakul’s second-in-command.
“He was left in charge of the flat, arranges texts with customers, engages with customers to sell to them, and is trusted with the stock and money,” Mr McGivern said. “He is clearly aware of the extent of the business and was found in possession of an instruction manual on how to run the business.”
The court heard Milton joined the operation as a driver, and initially acted as a “runner” delivering drug packages and performing DIY tasks. But by the time of a police raid in March 2016 he was a “trusted” member of the hierarchy and offered advice to younger associates, Mr McGivern said.
Milton’s barrister Graham Arnold said: “It is an odd scenario. He is a man who had never committed a crime until shortly before he appears to have had a life breakdown.
“He lost his marriage, he lost his business, and he broke into a whole different way of life, with his sexuality as well. He is an older man in the context of a lot of young men, and played an avuncular role in all of this.”
Judge Stephen Robbins said: “It could be said he should have known better.”
Mr Arnold said Milton’s health was failing, and described his lifestyle as “chaotic” at the time of the offending.
At an earlier hearing, Mr McGivern said the pensioner was seen on camera smoking drugs from the gang’s supply.
Milton, of Uxbridge, denies he was second in command. He was due to be sentenced today alongside Piriyachotworakul, of Bayswater, and Pilgrim, of Westbourne Grove, after all three admitted conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs.
Yesterday, Judge Pegden said of Milton: “He is facing a lengthy custodial sentence, the only question is how long.”
Referring to the TV series about a US chemistry teacher, Walter White, who becomes a crystal meth manufacturer, senior CPS prosecutor Adeolu Odusote said: “Aaron Milton seemed to think he was living out a Breaking Bad lifestyle peddling illegal drugs, but the overwhelming prosecution evidence against him meant that he was forced to plead guilty.”
