Mexican drug lord EncroChat handle helped cops smash gun and weed operation
10.05.2024 - 05:47
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
The discovery of thousands of messages, guns stashed in a shed and a 'Mexican drug lord' username helped police bring down a pair of EncroChat crooks.
Najeef Saleem and Nahidul Monaf were first investigated by police back in 2019. Detectives received further intelligence to strengthen their case in 2020, when the National Crime Agency handed over with thousands of EncroChat messages.
They were attributed to Saleem, who was using the handle 'Rafealcaroquintero' - a Mexican drug lord.
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One evening in October 2019, cops raided a house on Kingsway in Cheadle and found two self-loading pistols and ammunition stashed in a shed in the garden.
Enquiries quickly revealed those living at the house were not involved in the conspiracy and that the gun actually belonged to Nahidul Monaf, who was doing building work on their property at the time along with his associate Saleem.
CCTV showed the pair accessing the shed on several occasions prior to the raid, before forensic examinations uncovered crucial evidence linking Monaf and Saleem to the weapons.
Police returned to the Kingsway address on January 13 to conduct further searches. Inside the roof space, accessible via a hatch, another gun, more ammunition and a silencer were found.
As the investigation went on, Greater Manchester Police were carrying out a simultaneous operation into Monaf and Saleem in relation to drugs. Following a period of surveillance, police raided several houses linked to the pair.
On July 8 2020, Saleem was arrested at a property on Smallbrook Lane in Leigh. They found around £30,000 in cash, several mobile phones, paperwork and a set of keys linked to a unit in Cheetham