A Manchester gang have been jailed following a terrifying street shootout over the control of a cannabis farm. The quiet residential street was awoken in the early hours of February 4 last year by gunshots and cars ramming into each other as a rival gang tried to steal the Manchester gang's £220,000 cannabis grow.
In the street battle two men were shot and one suffered a serious head injury. Weapons, including sticks and saws were used, as well as the guns in the brawl, and two serious injuries caused by a machete to the Burnley gang.
A car was later found burned out in an effort by the Manchester gang to hide evidence of the attack and one car was left so badly damaged that it could not be driven away from the scene. Police were alerted when two of the Burnley men were treated in hospital for their injuries, one a gunshot wound to the leg, and a joint police investigation was launched between Lancashire Constabulary and Greater Manchester Police to hunt those involved - Operation Callaway.
LancsLive reports that the Manchester OCG were first called late on February 3 2021, after they gained word that a Burnley gang were trying to infiltrate a cannabis factory. Preston Crown Court heard that defendants Besim Zeka, 32, Elion Gllava, 27, Ibrahim Beldie, 32, and Andon Bita, 47, arrived at around 11.50pm and circled Salus Street in their cars for more than 30 minutes waiting for their rival gang before beginning their brutal attack.
CCTV footage from the area showed the Manchester gang ramming other vehicles and attacking their rivals with weapons. Residents described hearing multiple gunshots and hearing people shouting "they've got guns".
DNA from a bullet recovered from a member of the Burnley OCG suggested he had been shot fleeing the scene, while another gang member suffered a head injury from a machete. Police were called to Burnley General Hospital after being alerted to these injuries, which were not life-threatening. Another gang member suffered a more serious head wound from a machete attack during the brawl.
Three members of the Manchester gang left the scene in a BMW 3 Series, but another car used by the group, a BMW Estate, was so badly damaged during the ramming that it had to be abandoned at the scene. Zeka was stranded in Burnley because of this and contacted another gang member, Mazhar Shah, 40, to collect him in his Mitsubishi Evo and return to Manchester.
At 4am on February 4, Shah and fellow defendant Gulam Rauf, 39, travelled from Cheetham Hill to Burnley where they were captured on CCTV setting the abandoned BMW estate alight. On July 13 last year GMP and Lancs Police executed 18 warrants arrested many of the defendants.
Zeka was arrested the following day at a hotel in London. When Gllava was arrested we found handwritten lists and other documents linked to growing cannabis inside his Oldham home.
The fingerprints of defendant Andreas Zekaqis, 31, were also found on some of these documents. Gllava’s mobile phone was examined and contained images of cannabis grows.
Bita was found with £14,000 cash when he was arrested and police also found a wooden chair leg which had been shaped into a weapon. The two-day trial at Preston Crown Court heard eight men have been sentenced to terms ranging from 27 months to 19 and a half years.
Sentences
The following were found guilty at the end of the trial:
- Besim Zeka (30/10/1990), of Burder Street, Oldham – found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B. Jailed for 17 years.
- Elion Gllava (13/10/95), of Hollins Road, Oldham – found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B. Jailed for 19 and a half years.
- Ibrahim Beldie (16/11/89), of Hollins Road, Oldham – found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B. Jailed for 17 years.
- Andon Bita (6/5/75), of Ellen Wilkinson Crescent, Manchester – found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm with intent, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B and conspiracy to possess criminal property. Jailed for 17 years.
- Mazar Shah (03/01/82), of Alms Hill Road, Cheetham Hill, Manchester – found guilty of assisting an offender. He pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, which included the arson. Jailed for 3 years.
The following pleaded guilty during the trial:
- Gulam Rauf (12/6/83), of Hartley Avenue, Prestwich - perverting the course of justice, which included the arson. Jailed for 27 years.
- Murtaza Ahmed (22/11/83), of Berry Street, Brierfield - conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B and conspiracy to possess criminal property. Jailed for 4 and a half years.
- Andreas Zekaqis (1/5/91), of Acacia Road, Oldham – conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class B and conspiracy to possess criminal property. Jailed for 4 and a half years.
For more of today's top stories click here.
READ NEXT:
Stockport bar responds to backlash over strict new dress code
Peter Kay fan left 'crying' after buying £377 tickets to the wrong show
Thug threw spanner at police car which was chasing his gang after trying to steal parking meter
Careless delivery driver caught hurling parcels over his shoulder into van in shocking video
