A drugs gang who used vulnerable drug addicts, the COVID lockdown and a city centre hotel to peddle cocaine and heroin across the North West have been jailed.
Discovered through Encrochat, the gang were initially run by Ricci Ferrari, 38, who brokered deals with drugs importers and buyers in the UK. Helped by right-hand man Anthony Davies, 38, alongside Stuart Shears, 52, the three dealt in over 19 kilos of class A drugs worth over £1 million.
However, following the collapse of the encrypted system in 2020 by authorities, Ferrari stepped back and Shears and Davies continued, using others for their dirty work.
