54 Years For Greater Manchester Drug Gang

29 May 2013, 10:59 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

Nine men have been jailed for a total of more than 54 years after Greater Manchester Police smashed a 1 million pound drugs gang.

13 drugs warrants were executed in Stockport, including Cheadle, Heaton Norris, Heaton Moor and Bredbury and one in North Wales last October.

More than seven kilos of cocaine were found, with an estimated street value of £681,402 and £531,356 in cash.

41 year old David Smith from Shirley Grove, 51 year old Gary Cantwel from Churchill Street, 28 year old Craig Ryder from Dundonald Street, 28 year old Scott Whelan from Lynn Walk, 25 year old Dixie Dean from Hillgate, 28 year old Chris Clayton from Belmont Street , 26 year old Keiran Murray from Candleford Place , 52 year old Trevor Whitehead from Douglas Road and 32 year old Philip James from Stockport all admitted supplying cocaine.

They've been sentenced to between 3 and 11 years.

The gang were responsible for the supply of class A drugs across Stockport and was headed up by David Smith, who had property and assets worth more than a million pounds.

Smith would source high purity cocaine that would then be cut, packaged and delivered to street dealers.

The drugs would be cut with the mixing agent Benzocaine to maximise profits.

Detective Inspector Steve Earnshaw, of GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group, said:

"Over the course of several months we pursued these men with a dogged determination to unravel their activities and establish who the main runners and riders were.

"David Smith was clearly at the top of the tree, operating the others from above like a set of marionettes that he had at his beck and call to do his dirty work for him.

"Now the criminal process is over we will be using the laws available to us to strip Smith of any and all the assets accumulated from his illegal endeavours.

"Cocaine abuse, like other drug abuse, is a major factor in a lot other acquisitive crime such as theft, burglary and robbery, which people turn to in order to feed their habits."