Thousands of people took to the streets to watch the first St George's Day parade since the coronavirus pandemic. The popular annual event has not been held since 2019, but Manchester bathed in sunshine to welcome the return of the celebration.
Award-winning army veteran who helped gangsters flood streets with cocaine snared in huge Encrochat sting
06.04.2022 - 09:23 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
An army veteran who won medals for his service was among three men locked up for their part in a huge cocaine dealing operation foiled by cops who hacked into their Encrochat messages.
The men were involved in discussions over the buying, selling and movement of at least 13 kilos of the drug, valued at between £30,000 and £33,000-a-kilo, during a seven-week period during the first Covid lockdown.
They also discussed criminal cash assets of over £1.1million police said. The operation was 'orchestrated' jointly by Jake Meade, 33, and Dale Reid, 31, who had previously served prison terms for dealing.
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However, a court heard their 'trusted courier and storeman' was Liam McGrath, 34, who served in the military for nine years, rising to the rank of Corporal.
He earned the Queen's Jubilee Medal and the Iraq Medal during his near-decade of service. However post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) triggered by his dad's suicide and his experiences in the field saw him turn to drug use and he became involved in a bid to pay off his debts, a judge was told.
Meade, from north Manchester, and Reid, from Middleton, were jailed for almost 14 and a half years with McGrath, from Oldham, being handed a seven-year sentence at Manchester Crown Court on Monday.
The operation was rumbled as part of Operation Venetic, the country's biggest ever law enforcement operation which infiltrated the Encrochat network, where criminals contacted each other they believed securely, using expensive encrypted mobile phone handsets.
Meade, who went by the name ‘Cookietender’ on the service, and who the court heard had 'close links to the source of the drugs', 'orchestrated' the operation with the help of Reid, who went under the handles 'Navalhound'
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