Man jailed for 12 years in connection with Class A drugs conspiracy and 3 sentenced for the production of cannabis

Four men from Manchester appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday 10 January 2023, where they were sentenced following an investigation which uncovered a large scale drug conspiracy after a cannabis farm was located at one of the defendants homes in Worsley.

• Kyle Darbyshire (20/05/1987) of Blantyre Avenue, Walkden, was sentenced to 12 years in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and production and cultivation of cannabis.
• Mark Burgess (17/05/1978) of Ellenbrook Road, Worsley, pleaded guilty to the production of cannabis and received a 24 month suspended sentence, 18 month supervision order, and was ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and 5 rehabilitation days.
• Mark Cox (13/02/1985) of Runnymeade, Swinton, was sentenced to a 10 month suspended sentence, 12 month supervision order and was ordered to complete 60 hours of unpaid work after pleading guilty to the production of cannabis.
• Geoffrey White (05/01/1978) Thorpe Ave, Swinton, also pleaded guilty to the production of cannabis and was sentenced to a 10 month suspended sentence, 12 months suspension order and was ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation days.

The investigation into the organised crime group was part of Operation Venetic; the National Crime Agency led investigation in relation to the use of encrypted mobile phones, which can be used to carry out money laundering and drug supply, in a bid to evade police detection.

The gang were found to be using the encrypted devices on a regular basis to organise the purchasing of the drugs, namely cocaine and cannabis. Financial investigators valued the gangs potential returns from the drugs to be nearly £400,000. Following a raid at the home address of Darbyshire in Walkden, a total of £15,799 cash as well a number of designer watches and jewellery were seized.

DI Rebecca McGuigan of the District of Salford, said: “This was a complex investigation undertaken by the Operation Arctic Team who worked tirelessly to gather evidence and build the case against the four offenders.

“I hope today’s result sends a message to anyone who involves themselves in the supply of drugs, that we will not tolerate our communities being blighted by this destructive trade and we will be knocking on your door. Drugs can have a devastating impact on communities and our job is to bring these criminals down.

“I’d urge anyone who has any information about the supply of drugs in their local area to get in touch with the police”.