This weekend, people will get to experience what it’s like to be in a real-life Black Mirror episode when their phones all collectively sound off with a warning.
Big K, Beefy, and The Fish - the men who armed 'Gunchester'
09.04.2023 - 16:57 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk
They supplied items of clout, kudos and lethal force to criminals. They were 'merchants of death' as one was branded, feeding gangs with firepower.
Mac-10s and Uzi sub machine guns from war zones and Soviet bloc countries helped fuel Greater Manchester's gang wars in the 80s and 90s, before a new wave of armourers began converting gas-firing pistols from Eastern Europe after the millennium, triggering another deadly cycle.
Police cracked down on those supply lines, but now the hacking of EncroChat - the private messaging system dubbed Gangster Whatsapp - has exposed the new breed of armourers who stepped into the void.
Here the M.E.N looks at the gun dealers whose offending lay behind an appalling wave of gang crime in the 00s - and the recent offenders who have followed in their footsteps.
READ MORE: How Quality Street Gang, Noonans and Mickey the Fish feature in mob tapes case
Kaleem Akhtar's family was so well respected 4,000 people attended his wedding. But he harboured the most sinister of secrets.
Away from his job in his family’s successful clothing business and his £350,000 Chorlton home, Akhtar was a lynchpin in one of the country’s biggest gun-running networks.
The outfit Akhtar belonged to sold ‘assassins kits’ of self-loading Baikals and bullets, favoured by members of Manchester's Gooch gang. Akhtar, who called himself ‘Big K’, enjoyed the company of two girlfriends, big nights out in clubs, flashy cars and designer gear.
He had the key role in the operation, arranging for the kits, which would sell for £1700 a time, to be brought from a Lithuanian connection in Essex before being distributed in the North and in Scotland. The gang’s undoing came courtesy of a 2007 police surveillance operation
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dailyrecord.co.uk
21.04.2023 / 20:03
Boots shoppers praise 'great' £25 beauty box that contains £98 of skincare products
Beauty fans are going wild for a Boots beauty box that contains nearly £100 of skincare goodies - but at a quarter of the price.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
21.04.2023 / 18:57
Bus routes lost without warning as Little Gem stops running contracted services in bitter blow for passengers
Nine buses in Greater Manchester will be taken off the road with just 24 hours notice in a bitter blow to passengers after an operator told transport bosses without warning today it would stop running contracted services.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
21.04.2023 / 16:53
Channel 4 The Big Interiors Battle: How it works, who's presenting and where it is filmed
A new interior design show is airing on Channel 4 tonight (April 21) with some familiar faces set to feature in the programme. The Big Interiors Battle is a competitive series which sees eight budding interior designers battle it out to win the ultimate prize - their own mortgage-free apartment worth £250,000.
dailyrecord.co.uk
21.04.2023 / 14:07
Desperate search for missing Scots pensioner, 79, last seen stepping onto bus
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manchestereveningnews.co.uk
21.04.2023 / 11:03
Emmerdale viewers beg 'please' over wedding hero as they're left 'gutted' by 'missing' Charity and Mack wedding moment
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manchestereveningnews.co.uk
20.04.2023 / 07:19
Police stop driver for seatbelt offence... and make a 'big find'
A driver who was stopped by police for a seatbelt offence was found with five large vacuum-packed bags of cannabis.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
19.04.2023 / 20:37
The big issues on voters' minds ahead of Stockport's first 'all out' election in nearly 20 years
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manchestereveningnews.co.uk
19.04.2023 / 13:27
ITV Britain's Got Talent slapped with hundreds of Ofcom complaints after big return sparked 'new low' anger
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dailyrecord.co.uk
19.04.2023 / 04:05
SNP "battle bus" seized from home of Peter Murrell's mum towed into Glasgow police yard
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dailyrecord.co.uk
17.04.2023 / 18:39
Lockdown of Scots street ends as cops arrest man after armed cops called in and homes evacuated
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msn.com
16.04.2023 / 12:03
'I genuinely thought he was going to kill me - then I noticed the big window behind him'
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp communityIn a horrific attack, triggered by jealousy, Gresty cut Jolene, 30, with scissors, broke her bathroom door in two and threatened to pour acetone into her wounds. He was arrested and in May 2020 convicted at Chester Crown Court of assault by beating, unlawful wounding and ABH. He was jailed for 27 months.
msn.com
16.04.2023 / 12:03
Stacey Solomon asks 'am I having a midlife crisis?' as she makes big decision
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manchestereveningnews.co.uk
16.04.2023 / 08:11
'I used the £2 bus fare cap to see how far I could get from Manchester for £10'
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manchestereveningnews.co.uk
16.04.2023 / 08:11
The big plan for the bingo hall lying empty in a Greater Manchester town centre
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nypost.com
15.04.2023 / 21:59
Meet the Scottish kiltmaker who dresses big-time celebrities
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manchestereveningnews.co.uk
15.04.2023 / 09:19
Driver slapped with fine after driving in bus lane let off after finding penalty 'loophole'
A driver who was slapped with a fine after driving in a bus lane has escaped without charge after challenging the council.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
15.04.2023 / 05:45
'I genuinely thought he was going to kill me - then I noticed the big window behind him'
When Jolene Norman first met her ex-boyfriend on social media, she thought he seemed friendly, funny and good-looking too.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
15.04.2023 / 05:45
Anger as seaside splash park reopens for spring with some BIG changes
A popular seaside splash park is reopening this weekend, but it's no longer free to use and families can't book in advance.
manchestereveningnews.co.uk
14.04.2023 / 10:31
"It was horrendous": Riders 'screamed and cried' before having to walk down from Blackpool's Big One
A woman has described the 'horrendous' moment that she had to walk down from a rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach after it stopped mid-ride.