Three men who conspired to flood the region's streets with heroin and cocaine have been locked up for more than 30 years combined. David Murphy, Aaron Turner and Anthony Farrell were members of a north Manchester organised crime group supplying class A drugs.
Greater Manchester Police uncovered the trio as key members of the group during an investigation which formed part of Operation Praslin, investigating the supply of drugs and money laundering in the North West. Murphy was identified as the head of the group, with Turner in charge of storing the drugs and Farrell being the courier.
They were discovered after sending messages to each other using the ‘Encrochat’ system - a sophisticated encrypted messaging service used in an attempt to evade police detection. Detectives were able to download hundreds of messages between the group, discovering a large scale drugs conspiracy.
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On February 11, 2021, officers raided a house in Cheetham Hill and seized equipment commonly used by drug dealers, such as a large hydraulic press, scales and numerous mobile phones, as well as large amounts of packaging. Both Murphy and Farrell were inside the property at the time of the raid and were subsequently arrested.
Officers also found the keys to a Volkswagen Passat which was located nearby. On inspection, the car was found to have a secret compartment behind the back seats, activated by an electronic fob.
Further raids at an address in Cheetham Hill uncovered large amounts of expensive property linked to the group, which was also seized as evidence. Turner was then arrested at his Stockport home.
After appearing at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday (December 6), Murphy, 38, of Chambersfield Court, Salford, was jailed for 12 years after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Turner, 36, of Weybourne Drive, Stockport, was jailed for eight years after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Farrell, 41, of Rygate Walk, Cheetham Hill, was jailed for 10 years, five months, after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Detective Inspector Simon Akker, of GMPs Serious and Organised Crime Group, said: “This investigation took months of hard work by detectives who launched a proactive investigation as part of GMPs ongoing crackdown on drug supply in the region.
“These criminals tried various methods to try and evade police such as using secret compartments in their vehicles and utilising Encrochat to communicate in secret, but unfortunately for them, we were a step ahead and monitored the group until we had enough evidence to go in and make those arrests. Our main aim as the police, is to keep the public safe, and our work to make sure these people are taken off our streets will never end.
"Drugs destroy our local communities and help to fund serious crime, which is why it is so important that we continue to receive information from the public about possible drug related criminal activity. As always, we would ask that anyone with information or anyone with concerns to contact us as we work to disrupt serious crime across the region. Intelligence from members of the public continuously helps us with our on-going investigations - no matter how small the information may seem."
Anyone with information can report it to GMP online or by using the LiveChat service at www.gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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