A dealer was caught supplying drugs to undercover cops throughout North Manchester. James O’Leary, 37, operated the ‘James’ drugs line over a four month period in which he sent out flare messages to peddle heroin and crack cocaine.
Greater Manchester Police launched Operation Comanche to bring down drug dealing gangs, which saw undercover officers make over 30 test purchases from the ‘James’ line.
On 14 of those occasions they were met by O’Leary, who rode up to them on a bicycle with bags filled with wraps of crack cocaine and heroin. On one occasion he had a bag filled with between 70 and 100 wraps, Manchester Crown Court heard.
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Pleading guilty to two offences of supplying class A drugs, O’Leary of Newton Heath, was jailed for over four years.
Prosecuting, Philip Hall said an undercover officer made contact with a drug user in Miles Platting who gave information about a number of drug dealers, one of which included the ‘James’ line.
Between July and November of last year, the officer received a number of ‘flare’ messages, which had been sent out in bulk, from the line. These read: “On fire 24/7” and “On all night J”.
“The officer was met by various dealers under the Rochdale Canal,” Mr Hall said. “Over the period of four and a half months, the officers made test purchases on 31 occasions from the James line.
“O’Leary was responsible for providing the drugs on 14 of these occasions. He would arrive on a bicycle shortly after a telephone had been placed.”
These included £20 deals for a snap bag of crack cocaine and two snap bags of heroin. During the deals, he was seen with bags containing numerous wraps of the drugs.
O’Leary was said to have 18 convictions for 34 offences including producing cannabis and supplying cocaine and heroin to undercover police officers following a similar investigation.
Defending, Nicola Carroll said that her client had provided a basis of plea, in which he said he didn’t exclusively run the drugs line. He said he worked ‘shifts’ where he would operate the line and deal the drugs, but then once his shift was over he would pass it onto someone else.
“He was addicted to heroin for a number of years,” she said. “He obviously gained financially.
“He has the potential to be a fully fledged member of society - it is the first time in his life that he is thinking clearly.”
Sentencing, Recorder Imran Shafi KC said: “You must know, being a user of heroin, of the misery that class A drugs have upon not just the users, but their family, the people they steal from, the people they lie to and the wider society.
"Also, the other crimes that fund this habit - money had to be obtained from somewhere, usually from stealing, mugging, robbing or burgling. The users have a reduced quality of life too. Essentially, you are peddling misery and death.”
O’Leary, of Millway Walk, Newton Heath, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
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