Drugs runner is dealt jail term

Carl Knox

AN Oldham drugs courier has been jailed for his part in the supply of Class A drugs from Manchester to the North East.

Carl Knox (pictured), of Ripponden Road, was jailed for four years yesterday after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Knox (30) was part of a gang headed up by Jeffrey Hanks (52), of Greenway Close, Bury, who was also found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs as well as money laundering. He was jailed for 22 years at Cleveland Crown Court.

A third person, Dawn Hanks (43), also of Greenway Close, Bury, was convicted of concealing and converting criminal property and will be sentenced at a later date.

The gang were brought to justice following a two-year joint investigation by Oldham’s Organised Crime Team and Cleveland police targeting the Class A drugs trade.

In July, last year, a number of warrants were executed across Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside, Bury and Cleveland as part of the second phase of the operation.

Over the course of 24 months, the Oldham Organised Crime Team recovered up to £250,000 in cash along with drugs and mixing agents worth more than £3million in connection with the investigation.

Detective Constable Gary Lamont, of the Organised Crime Team, based in Oldham, said: “The communities of Oldham will no doubt be delighted to see today’s result, the culmination of two years’ work.

“These criminals, most of which live in Oldham and Manchester, sold vast quantities of illegal drugs through a network of smaller dealers in the Cleveland area.”
For a full version of this story to the e-Chron digital edition or buy the newspaper.