Members of county lines drugs gang who dealt heroin and crack cocaine from hotel rooms in Blackpool jailed

Members of a county lines drugs gang who moved large volumes of crack cocaine and heroin from Manchester to Blackpool have been jailed.

The ‘Scooter’ organised crime group (OCG) used the train network and various cars to move large volumes of drugs from Manchester into Blackpool.

Members would then set up in hotel rooms where they would distribute the drugs.

The gang was taken down after an investigation codenamed Operation Banshee which was led by the Project Adder team based in the resort.

Officers seized crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of £12,500 as part of the investigation.

A machete, two knives, £3,500 in cash, 22 mobile phones, designer clothing and jewellery were also recovered.

The final members of the gang were sentenced at Preston Crown Court on Friday, September 22.

Those sentenced were:

- Ian Angus, 37, of Cornwall Drive, Bury, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A crack cocaine and heroin. He was believed to be the gang leader in partnership with his younger brother. He was sentenced to six years and nine months.

- Ryan Angus, 35, of Allesley Drive, Salford, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A crack cocaine and heroin. He is the younger brother of Ian Angus. He was sentenced to six years and nine months.

- Roxanne Smethurst, 34, of Cornwall Drive, Bury, who was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A crack cocaine and heroin. She is the partner of Ian Angus. She was sentenced to five years.

- Luis Fonsecca, 31, of no fixed abode, who pleaded guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A crack cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced to two years.

- Mustafa Mohamud, 23, of no fixed abode, who pleaded guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A crack cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced to 18 months.

- Mohammed Abdalla, 20, of Kendrew Road, Bolton, who pleaded guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A crack cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced to 18 months.

PC Rachel Plant, of the Project Adder team, said: “This is a great result and should show how committed we are to taking drug dealers off the streets while offering support to those suffering as a result of drug misuse.

“This gang exploited vulnerable members of the community for their own financial gain, they do not care about the consequences their actions have on those to whom they supply, or the effects it has on our town.

“Project Adder is a multi-agency approach to improving the lives of families in Blackpool.

“We will continue to work towards improving the outcomes for those suffering from addiction, whilst tackling the associated problems that this destructive activity has on the community.”

Project Adder – which stands for Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery – has been running since January 2021.

It focuses on working in partnership to address the root causes of drugs misuse and break down supply chains in the resort.

If you have information about drug supply in your area, call 101 or report it online at https://doitonline.lancashire.police.uk/.

Independent charity Crimestoppers can also be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.