Colin Smith’s mum said: “The rats in Speke did that dirty deed to my son”
When dad-of-five Colin Smith was gunned down outside a Speke gym on November 13, 2007, it was suspected the cold-blooded attack was motivated by jealousy. The 40-year-old ran a successful property development company, and was known to have his fingers in several pies in the Liverpool area.
But rumours soon began to swirl about Mr Smith’s turbulent past, leading to speculation the dad was the “right hand man” of infamous Liverpool drugs kingpin Curtis Warren, and had taken over when the Toxteth gangster was locked up in 2005. The dad’s family believed “rats in Speke” carried out the fatal shooting, while underworld source claimed his execution had been ordered by a Columbian cartel over a £72m cocaine dispute.
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The suspected gangland killing occurred on the afternoon of November 13, 2007. Mr Smith dropped one of his sons at a football training session, then drove his black Ford Galaxy to Alderwood Avenue to visit Nels Gym, which was under refurbishment at the time. There, it is believed Mr Smith met with “underworld figures”.
At around 8pm, in a move thought to have been sparked by a text or call to his mobile, Mr Smith stepped out onto the street. Within seconds he was shot twice in the stomach at close range with a pump-action shotgun. He collapsed, and died at the scene.
His killer is believed to be a professional gunman who laid in wait in a service road near the Mill House pub. This suspected hitman has never been caught – and is rumoured to have fled the country from John Lennon Airport shortly after the shooting.
Speaking to the ECHO, Kevin Clague, head of Merseyside Police’s serious crime review unit, said: “We remain committed to finding Colin’s killer and we are determined to prosecute those responsible so we can help his family get justice.
“Time is never a barrier and we regularly review all murder investigations to identify and act on any fresh information. I would urge people in the community for their help with the investigation and remind them that it’s never too late to come forward with any information you may have, no matter how small. Every vital bit of information and evidence can help us make significant progress.
“Colin was very well-known in the Speke area and we believe that means there will be people in that community who have heard vital information who haven’t yet spoken to us. Those people may have moved from the area or be in a different situation which allows them to now speak up. We will support anyone in doing so.”
In 1993, Mr Smith was hit with allegations that he was involved in a £190m plot to bring cocaine into the UK. Customs officials claimed a nine-strong gang were responsible for importing the class A drug, with the shipments intercepted coming through Felixstowe and destined for Liverpool.
However, a court judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove Mr Smith’s involvement in the case. Mr Smith, who was 26 at the time, had strongly denied the charges – and was never convicted of any offences before his life was brutally cut short.
It did not take long before allegations were voiced that Mr Smith had earned his fortune as a major player in the international drugs trade. His reputation was said to have been that of a reliable businessman in a world dominated by thugs, whose payments were upfront and always on time. Dealing directly with the Colombian cartels, Mr Smith is believed to have had consignments shipped from the shores of South America to Europe, sometimes into Spain and at others into Amsterdam.
Underworld sources alleged his murder was a result of a drug deal gone wrong, after a trusted ally of Mr Smith set up an importation of around 500kg of cocaine from South America. The drugs were shipped to Amsterdam in a deal thought to have been worth £72m and sat on the quayside waiting to be brought into Britain.
Mr Smith was said to have scooped the shipment and sold it through his own network after his associate was himself shot dead. Bu when the South Americans came calling for their money, he denied ever having seen the drugs, claiming they must have been intercepted by the Dutch authorities.
But Mr Smith’s mum Phyllis told a different story. She said: “Everyone in Liverpool knows who killed Colin. So do the police but they just don’t have the evidence needed to arrest them. We know that there are people out there who know who killed Colin and we can’t comprehend how they can sit back and stay quiet. It was a cowardly act and the people who are hiding behind a wall of silence are cowards too.
“People in Speke killed Colin; it wasn’t Colombians. The rats in Speke did that dirty deed to my son.”
If you have any information, please DM @MerPolCC, call 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.
