Drug gang man behind bars

JAILED . . . Patrick Matthews

A FAILSWORTH man who was part of a gang at the heart of a cocaine-dealing network has been jailed for three and a half years.

Patrick Matthews (48) of Rutland Street, is behind bars after police smashed the lucrative operation.

He is among nine men from Manchester, Salford and Cheshire, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

They were sentenced to a total of more than 40 years in prison at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Between January and March, 2009, police surveillance spotted the gang going to and from a house in Harpurhey where they exchanged cocaine for cash.

Police who stopped two of the gang in a car found a plastic bag containing more than half a pound of cocaine. It had an accomplice’s fingerprints on it.

That man was later caught with a block of cocaine weighing more than 2lbs, but managed to escape. Further prints belonging to two more men were found on its packaging.

Matthews and two other men were then spotted at a house in Miles Platting making arrangements to mix cocaine with adulterants.

Matthews drove an accomplice to buy a food blender. They were about to mix the drugs when police stormed the house.

A 2lbs block of cocaine was found in the blender and another on the kitchen worktop. Forensics revealed further fingerprints.

The arrests were part of Operation Monza to crack down on cocaine gangs.

Det Chief Insp John Ogdon from Greater Manchester Police, said: “We have smashed a major drugs ring by disrupting the supply of lethal drugs on to our streets and it is very pleasing to see the main players behind bars.

“Drugs are often contributing factors in other serious crimes such as robbery and burglaries, and dealers who feed people’s habits simply to line their own pockets are helping to create this misery.

“The members of this gang clearly did not care about this — they had no qualms about selling drugs and taking a slice of the profits.”