Gang trafficked heroin and crack cocaine from Manchester then filmed themselves bagging up the drugs

Gang members who trafficked heroin and crack cocaine from north Manchester were caught after filming themselves bagging up the drugs.

The Max drugs line plotted to flood the streets of Accrington, Lancashire, with Class A drugs shipped in from Cheetham Hill.

Gang leader Hasnain Ashraf sent drugs runner Lewis Lord to collect huge amounts of drugs from his Cheetham Hill-based associates, Lloyd Spencer and Sameer Amin, on multiple occasions between September 2022 and June 2023.

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Lord then recorded incriminating videos of himself and his fellow drug runners, Joseph Oakes and Aston Johnson, preparing the drugs to be sold. As the trio bagged up drugs, they recruited Paul Moxham to sell them on their behalf.

After the heroin and crack cocaine had been prepared, the gang sent bulk text messages advertising drugs for sale.

The operation was brought down when police swooped on addresses in Cheetham Hill, Accrington and Blackburn on June 20 of last year. When Ashraf was arrested at his home in Accrington, officers seized a mobile phone and watch.

They found scales and tubs containing white residue when they arrested Spencer at his home in Cheetham Hill. Amin was arrested at his home in Manchester and attempted to flush a large quantity of heroin down the toilet. A mobile phone, cash and scales were also recovered.

Oakes was arrested in July of this year after spending more than a year on the run.

Four members of the gang are now behind bars. Three other men were spared jail by a judge at Preston Crown Court on October 7.

• Hasnain Ashraf, 34, of Frederick Street, Accrington, was jailed for ten years and four months after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.
• Lewis Lord, 23, of South Square, Blackpool, was jailed for eight years and nine months. He admitted conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Lloyd Spencer, 41, of Hawkshead Road, Cheetham Hill, was jailed for three years and nine months after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Joseph Oakes, 23, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and eight months. He admitted conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Sameer Amin, 31, of Hovey Close, Cheetham Hill, received a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.
• Paul Moxham, 50, of Whalley Road, Altham West, also received a two-year suspended sentence after admitting conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Aston Johnson, 20, of Brear Vale, Oswaldtwistle, received a two-year suspended sentence after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.

DS Stu Peall, of Lancashire Constabulary's East Exploitation Team, said: “These seven men played key roles in what they thought was a well-organised Class A drugs supply operation. Through dedicated police work we managed to unravel their trafficking operation and put them before the courts – even Joseph Oakes who thought he would never be caught.

“We know that these OCGs exploit the most vulnerable members of society and cause misery in the areas in which they operate. We will continue to target these groups, dismantle their operations and put their members before the courts.”

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire Police's and Crime Commissioner said: "Results like this highlight the often unseen work being carried out around the clock, and will reassure the public that we are tackling organised crime at full force, with Lancashire Police acting on information from the public to drive criminals out of our county.

"Strong deterrents and proactive enforcement are key, as is focusing on intervention to stop crime in its tracks and break the cycles of reoffending. I will continue to back the Chief Constable, so our police officers and staff have the resources they need to tackle criminal gangs and bring offenders to justice."