By Chris Slater
Copyright manchestereveningnews
Members of a £1m Wythenshawe drugs operation have been locked up. The gang flooded the streets of Manchester with cocaine, heroin and amphetamines. Three men – Alan Entwistle, Stephen Findley and William Riley – have been now been jailed for their part in the ‘sophisticated’ operation. Officers first raided the home of 64 year-old Findley, on Carloon Road in Wythenshawe, on July 5 last year. They found 3kg of white powder – later confirmed to be cocaine – inside a JD Sports bag. Sign up to the MEN Court newsletter here Cops also found 1kg of brown and white powder – found to be cocaine and amphetamine – inside a black rucksack. Other drug paraphernalia, including scales, was discovered in the kitchen. Then, 18 days later on July 23, Entwistle, 48, was followed by officers to garages off Church Lane in Northenden. He was with three other men, including Riley. They were ‘acting extremely suspiciously, sweating and appearing nervous’, Greater Manchester Police said. On a set of keys seized from Enrtwistle was a one which opened one of the garages. Inside officers found three large bags of powder inside a toolbox. An within an Adidas bag were eight smaller bags, each containing around 1kg of brown powder. Join our Court and Crime WhatsApp group HERE Police found digital scales and 11kg of ‘drug adulterants’ – including caffeine, paracetamol and benzyl methyl ketone – used to ‘cut’ product. Entwistle prepared drugs for sale and distributed packages to other dealers and safe houses. Findley, 64 acted as the group’s ‘warehouseman’, while Riley, was a street dealer, according to GMP. An expert concluded that if the recovered drugs and adulterants had been mixed and broken down into 0.1g deals, the heroin alone would have been worth £1,108,400, yielding a potential profit of over £1m, the force said. The men were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Friday (September 19). Entwistle, of Kennett Road, Wythenshawe was jailed for 10 years six months for conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs. Findley was handed a sentence of four years and four months for the same offence. Riley, 40, of Moat Road, Wythenshawe, was jailed for five years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Detective Sergeant Richard McCorry from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group said: “This was a sophisticated criminal operation that was flooding our communities with Class A and Class B drugs on a large scale. “The sentences that were handed down reflect the serious nature of these offences and send a clear message that we will relentlessly pursue those involved in drug supply. “The investigation demonstrates the excellent work of our officers, from the initial search warrant through to the tactical vehicle intercept operation that led to the discovery of such significant quantities of drugs and equipment. “We remain committed to dismantling organised crime groups that bring misery to our communities through drug dealing. Anyone with information about drug dealing in their area is encouraged to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
