Police blitz sees 26 dealers jailed

A POLICE investigation into the gangland feud that sparked Dale Cregan’s killing sprees has led to the jailing of 26 drug dealers.

Operation Challenger, one of the biggest police crackdowns in Manchester’s history, targeted organised crime gangs in the north and east of the city and Tameside.

It was stepped up after Cregan murdered father and son David and Mark Short, and police constables Fiona Bone and Nicola Hughes.

The operation led to the arrest of 300 people, seizure of £2 million worth of counterfeit goods, cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines worth over £455,000 on the streets. Weapons and a dozen cars were also seized.

The 26 sentenced were given jail sentences totalling 67 years.

Chief Supt Rebekah Sutcliffe, head of the operation, said: “Challenger was set up to disrupt and dismantle the gangs that bring misery to the streets of Manchester, and to see so many members of these organised crime groups now behind bars is a fantastic result.

“These gangs build their power from the bottom up and these drug dealers act as foot soldiers, peddling drugs to fund the illegal lifestyle of those higher up.”