A 23-year-old estate agent has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison for his role in a family drugs business worth up to £31.6 million.

Nathan Kinnear admitted an offence of conspiracy to supply cocaine earlier this month after being caught helping his father by booking hotel rooms and providing Sports Direct and Aldi bags, which were used to store the drugs.

Escape attempt

He tried to escape through the bedroom window of his girlfriend’s house in the Norris Green area of Liverpool, but was arrested by police officers.

Kinnear was recruited by his dad Raymond Kinnear, who was found with the keys to a car that was discovered parked in an industrial unit with a massive haul of 45kg of cocaine.

Moving drugs and cash

WhatsApp messages and calls between Kinnear and his dad revealed they had been involved in moving drugs and cash over the previous six months.

Cash totalling £4,700 was found on the top shelf of a wardrobe in his bedroom at his mum’s home in Melling, Merseyside.

Kinnear was jailed for seven years and four months, and his father, aged 63, was sentenced to a total of 17 years.

I accept that Nathan Kinnear was drawn into this offending by his father.”

Judge Neil Flewitt told a Liverpool Crown Court hearing: “It is clear that he is a young man who is highly regarded, and he has the potential to make something of his life.

“I accept that Nathan Kinnear was drawn into this offending by his father as a result of naivety and an eagerness to please.

No doubt

“Nonetheless, he can have been in no doubt as to the seriousness of the enterprise in which he was involved.”

He retrained and worked as an estate agent after working on a national rail project. He had earlier trained as a tiler and been employed in construction, before studying surveying at John Moores University.

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