UNO forced to draw four after being dealt a tough hand by the GMP County Lines Team

A drug dealer from Bramhall has been jailed for four years following an investigation into County Lines drug dealing.

Yesterday at Crown Square Crown Court, Onasis Mensah (05/04/1986) of Hillbrook Road, Bramhall, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

In September 2022, GMP County Lines Team launched a proactive investigation into a drugs county line, branded ‘Uno’, operating in the Beswick area of North Manchester.

On Monday 16 January 2023, Greater Manchester Police seized the mobile phone and began analysis to understand the extent of the operation. Unlike the traditional drug lines, the Uno line didn’t need to send bulk messages to users, which is essentially their way of advertising drugs and deals they have on. This line was so well established that customers were regular and were aware of its opening times. Extensive phone analysis showed in just one month, over 250 individual customers contacted this drug line.

The specialist team of detectives, who work tirelessly to tackle the issue of County Lines in Manchester daily, had their sights on Mensah after one of his associates was arrested in December 2022 with large quantities crack cocaine and heroin stashed in his underwear, ready for onward distribution.

His mobile phone revealed a significant volume of communication between him and the Uno line. It quickly became clear that Mensah was directing this man to drop the drugs off with customer – all of which he was paid a modest wage for.

On Thursday 8 December 2022, officers from GMP Roads Policing Unit pulled Mensah over due to his erratic driving. During a search of his car, police found a burner phone in the footwell which was ringing. No drugs were located in his car, but police were able to start adding to their intelligence on Mensah and building their case.

On Monday 16 January 2023, police executed two warrants at addresses linked to Mensah. Inside the first address in North Manchester, police found digital scales, a 5kg tub of bicarbonate sofa, a burner phone, and large quantities of unused cling film wraps – all of which are consistent with a drugs operation. Five wraps of crack cocaine, machetes, and knuckle dusters were also located.

Mensah was arrested at an address in Bramhall. During this search, police found cash, cocaine and the Uno graft line device. Cell site analysis of the phone evidenced that Mensah was in control of the line from his home on a regular basis and contacting others to secure large quantities of cocaine and heroin.

Police Constable Rhiann O'Malley from GMP County Lines Team said: “As a result of his conviction, we have been able to disrupt a chain of supply and remove a significant quantity of drugs off our streets and further afield.

“We do extensive work with our partners to break the cycle of organised crime to make sure vulnerable people who are the victims of these criminal enterprises are safeguarded, and I hope this case reassures the communities of Greater Manchester that we are committed to tackling this type of criminality.

“We need the public to be our eyes and ears on the ground and to keep coming forward with information about drug dealing and exploitation in their communities. If something doesn’t look right or doesn’t feel right, then it probably isn’t.”

A county line sees organised crime groups use mobile phones, known as a ‘line’ or a ‘graft’, to extend their criminal enterprise into new locations, usually from a city into rural areas.

They often target vulnerable people, including children and disabled people, to facilitate their drug dealing operation.

There are several signs to look out for that may indicate someone is involved in county lines:

• repeatedly going missing from school or home and being found in other areas
• having money, new clothes or electronic devices and they can't explain how they paid for them
• getting high numbers of texts or phone calls, being secretive about who they're speaking to
• decline in school or work performance
• significant changes in emotional or physical well-being