A CRIME gang responsible for the biggest gun-running plot ever countered by UK law enforcement operated its main stash house from a plush residential development.
A property in the Cotton Field Wharf plot at Ancoats Marina was rented out to store guns, ammunition,, drugs and 'vast' amounts of cash.
Adrian Gonzalez, 33, the gangster in charge of the stash house, has now been jailed for 25 years. The gang's ringleader, Omar Malik, was previously jailed for 38 years while four other conspirators were also handed lengthy prison sentences.
A judge at Manchester Crown Court said the gang were responsible for criminality on an 'exceptional scale! They were behind the supply of cocaine worth £70m, and sold 48 Skorpion machine pistols to other gangsters across the UK and Ireland.
"This trade in guns and ammunition, Mr Gonzalez, was described by an expert in this field as being amongst the very highest level of criminal firearm trafficking ever encountered by law enforcement in the United Kingdom," Judge John Potter told Gonzalez, who he labelled a 'determined' and 'professional criminal'
This story is from the April 26, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the April 26, 2024 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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