Six jailed for 44 years and eight months after GMP dismantle seven-figure organised crime gang with head of the operation outstanding
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Following a lengthy investigation into a major organised crime gang from Manchester, has seen six of its members jailed for a combined 44 years and eight months.
The head of the organisation, Thomas Hunt (26/05/1977) of Bonny Brow Street, Middleton, who is thought to be the mastermind behind running Class A and B drugs throughout the city-region and the country, remains at large and is actively being sought for arrest by Greater Manchester Police.
Leader of the OCG Thomas Hunt (26/05/1977) of Bonny Brow Street, Middleton, is wanted by Greater Manchester Police.
Dylan Robinson (28/08/1992) of Fallows Avenue, Middleton, has been jailed for 12 years and six months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, possession with intent to supply and possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate.
Anthony Hunt (06/03/1985) of Rudston Avenue, Moston, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply.
Stanley Ainsley (14/07/1967) of Birch Street, Gorton, has been jailed for eight years and seven months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply
Graham Sykes (29/10/1962) of Moston Lane, Moston, will spend five years and three months behind bars for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and production of cannabis.
Aiden Hopkins (16/04/1994) of Howe Road, Gosport, will spend three years and nine months behind bars for Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Robert Earnshaw (17/04/1996) of Law Street, Rochdale, has been sentenced to three years and four months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply.
Thomas Lockwood (21/09/1965) of Mossbrook Court, Collyhurst, has been handed a 20-month sentence, suspended for 12 months and 10 rehabilitation requirement days.
Lisa Prescott (22/07/1985) of Henry Street, Leigh, was handed a 24-month sentence, suspended for 12 months with 100 hours unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation requirement days.
Rachel Blackburn-Stanley (31/10/1990) of Rudston Avenue, Moston, has been given an 18-month sentence, suspended for nine months with 15 rehabilitation requirement days.
The court heard how between the March and October 2024 the group operated on a commercial scale, moving cocaine, heroin, MDMA and amphetamine worth more than £1.8 million. Using encrypted apps and mobile phones, self-storage units to conceal stock and trusted couriers who carried drugs and cash across the UK, they thought they were untouchable.
They were wrong.
When our officers struck, they seized over 15kgs of cocaine, 1.8kg of heroin, 6.4 kgs of amphetamine, almost 7,000 ecstasy tablets, £75,821 in cash and 224 rounds of viable ammunition.
At the centre of the everything that the group did was Thomas Hunt. The 48-year-old who remains wanted for his crimes controlled the operation from his house, directing movements of drugs and picking sites where drugs could be stored and cut.
Hunt tried to remain one step ahead all the time, removing himself from the day-to-day, but surveillance showed senior figures of the OCG reporting back to him after drug drops and storage visits had taken place.
He was a frequent flyer at an address on Moss Bank in Manchester where police later found 11kgs of cocaine and pressing equipment.
Robinson acted as Hunt’s right-hand man and was the group’s logistics controller. He managed two self-storage containers where drugs and ammunition were kept, orchestrated supply to other crime groups and directed couriers across the country.
Drugs found during our investigation
He was a constant presence throughout, making handovers, visiting Hunt’s home repeatedly and coordinating trips to Bristol, Carlisle and Newcastle. When arrested at his home on Fallows Avenue, Middleton, officers found him in possession of more than £61,000 in cash, cocaine, heroin and keys to both storage units.
Anthony Hunt, Thomas’s brother, handled stock and equipment. He was arrested inside one of the OCG’s safe houses on Moss Bank, Crumpsall, with his DNA being found on gloves at the address. Further searches at his home address who he shared with his partner Blackburn-Stanley linked him to cocaine, and heroin.
Graham Sykes was a trusted courier who made 18 trips to locations including Carlisle, Glasgow and Gosport. He maintained contact with Robinson throughout his journeys and was arrested in Derbyshire with a kilogram of cocaine concealed in his vehicle.
Stanley Ainsley was another courier and storeman, making multiple trips under Robinson’s and Anthony Hunt’s direction and storing drugs at his home. When we arrested him at Birch Street, Gorton, our officers found 6.4kgs of amphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cash.
Lisa Prescott became involved under the direction of her partner, James Close, who continued his drug business from prison after he was jailed for 36 years back earlier this year, for the part he played in another organised crime gang’s rise and fall. Her DNA being found on gloves at the address with traces of cocaine.
She facilitated cocaine supply and was arrested alongside Anthony Hunt. Her DNA was found on a glove with cocaine residue, and cash was seized from her car and home.
Rachel Blackburn-Stanley assisted her partner Anthony Hunt by driving him to exchanges and providing access to addresses. She was detained after attending the Moss Bank address with Hunt and was later linked to drug-related items found here address on Rudston Avenue in Moston.
Thomas Lockwood acted as the group’s tester, checking the quality of the cocaine and heroin onward sale. Robert Earnshaw operated a local dealership in Rochdale and was supplied drugs by the group. He was arrested with cannabis and a burner phone containing messages evidencing Class A drug supply. Earnshaw is the partner of Hunt’s daughter, which gave him access to the group’s inner circle.
Aiden Hopkins was based in Gosport and worked as a courier for a southern-based organised crime group that purchased drugs from the Manchester network. He made nine trips up north before being arrested in Hampshire with Class A drugs hidden in his vehicle and a viable firearm at his home address.
Detective Sergeant Shiels said: “This is another significant blow to organised crime in Greater Manchester. This was not a street-level operation – it was a highly structured, with drugs being dealt and shipped across the country on an industrial scale.
“Everyone involved in this operation showed determination to succeed, stay undetected and profit from their ill-gotten gains. They were motivated purely by greed, with no regard for the devastation that Class A drugs cause our communities.
“Our officers worked tirelessly throughout this investigation, deploying covert tactics and surveillance to dismantle the gang. The sheer quantity of drugs seized – more than £1.8 million worth – alongside ammunition and cash, demonstrates the scale of harm that has been prevented. These jail sentences send a clear message: if you choose to engage in organised crime, we will find you, and we will put you in prison.
“Our work does not stop here, our attention firmly remains on capturing Thomas Hunt and bringing him to justice, we are utilising all of the powers available to us and we will catch up with him.”
Mugshots of the six who have been given jail time.