Former Liverpool player Layton Maxwell jailed for being 'courier' for cocaine gang in £6m racket

A former Liverpool footballer-turned-cocaine dealer has been jailed for eight years after he became a cocaine dealer after quitting the professional game.

Midfielder Layton Maxwell was just 19 when he scored on his debut at Anfield after coming through the ranks with England stars Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.

But his career never took off - and he joined a cocaine crime gang as he slipped down the leagues.

A court heard Maxwell, now 43, allowed a multi-million pound drugs gang to use his home in Cardiff as a safehouse for storing drugs in a £6m racket.

Organised crime officers found drugs, cash, and weighing equipment at his house and prosecutors said he was paid £500-a-month for his role as a 'courier' for gang bosses.

He was arrested as part of a UK-wide investigation called Operation Venetic into organised crime which saw millions pounds worth of drugs and cash seized.

Midfielder Maxwell, who also played for Cardiff City and Swansea City, came through the ranks at Anfield. He was highly rated and scored a goal on his senior debut at the famous Kop End in 1999 - only to be released by the club in 2001.

But the disgraced former star was arrested in an investigation by the National Crime Agency.

Raids were carried out after officers busted open an encrypted messaging service that had been used by gang leaders.

More than 60 kilos of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of an estimated £6 million and £2,500,000 in cash was seized in police raids.

Maxwell was one of eight defendants jailed for a total of 80 years at Cardiff Crown Court - with more gang members yet to be sentenced.

Jailing Maxwell for eight years, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke described it as a 'dirty trade bringing misery to many.'

Maxwell, of Rhiwbina, Cardiff, admitted conspiracy to supply the Class A drug cocaine and was jailed for eight years for his role.

Assistant Chief Constable Dave Thorne, said the raids in south Wales alone resulted in 'two tonnes of drugs and millions of pounds in cash recovered.'

He added: 'Officers have seized 60kg of cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin with an estimated street value of £6,000,000. In addition more than £2.5 million in cash has also been seized.

'Illegal drugs have no place in our society and we will continue to work together to target those whose criminal activities blight the lives of the communities of southern Wales.

'We are committed to disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups, bringing people before the courts and removing drugs from our streets.'

Maxwell dreamed of the big time when he scored at the Kop end on his debut in 1999 but never played for the first team again.

At the time he said: 'I scored and you really think you've made it when that happens.

'Not many players score at the Kop End on their Liverpool debut. It was some night after that game, but I soon came back down to earth because I was training with the reserves the following week.'

After roughly a year without first-team action the Welsh winger was loaned to Stockport County for a season before moving to Cardiff City and then Swansea.

After leaving Swansea City Maxwell dropped through the divisions before seeing out his career in the League of Wales including spells at Bangor City and Caernarfon.

After retiring from football he became an engineer with Vodafone and also took charge of Cardiff Draconians in Welsh football's third tier but stepped down in December due to increased work commitments.