Drugs kingpin who refused to 'slow down' despite being in prison jailed again

A convicted dealer who police said 'showed no signs of slowing down' despite being in prison ran a major drugs ring from a mobile phone behind bars.

Police chiefs said Omar Din, 36, facilitated the sale of 'large quantities of drugs with an established criminal network on the outside'. He was said to have 'trusted associates who he directed to do the dirty work' - together with links to Holland, Hungary, Morocco, and Albania.

In 2021, Din was convicted of two conspiracies to supply class A drugs, namely cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced to seven years and three months in jail after going on the run for six years to evade police, who finally caught up with him and arrested him as he travelled from Istanbul in Turkey to Sweden.

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Two years after he was jailed his prison cell at HMP Risley in Warrington was searched, with an iPhone and a charger cable found in a foam exercise roller under his bed. Greater Manchester Police said it 'soon became clear' the phone was being used to supply drugs and was controlled by Din.

A force spokesperson said: "Whilst no outgoing messages were recovered from the device, an examination of the phone showed extensive incoming correspondence from different parties showing Din was involved with a large-scale drugs conspiracy, and he was facilitating the sale of large quantities of drugs from prison with an established criminal network on the outside.

"From the messages recovered by police, Din and his associates were also discussing future international business opportunities, showing Din had no intentions of slowing down or stepping away from crime, despite his circumstances.

"Messages also showed they were sharing debtor lists, locations of drug deals, and discussing large volumes of cash and class A drugs, creating volumes of incriminating evidence for detectives."

At Manchester Crown Court on Monday, Din, of no fixed address, was jailed for a further 20 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply drugs. Police chiefs said messages on the phone showed Din 'sat at the top of the conspiracy'.

Operation Gatehouse was launched in April to tackle serious organised crime across the four Greater Manchester prisons.

Detective Superintendent Andy Buckthorpe, who leads the operation, said: "The impact of organised crime in prison not only impacts the prison estate but overlaps into the wider communities who fall victim to the drugs trade and associated violence.

"To date, this operation has led to several arrests and recoveries of illegal commodities and contraband both within the prisons and in the areas around the prison estate. This operation is in its early days, but we remain committed to working with partners to continue our pursuit of those who offend in prison, facilitate the transfer of commodities into prisons, or facilitate these offences and harm our communities.”

Detective Inspector James Coles, from GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group, said Din used his time in prison 'to build on his illicit enterprise'. "He was fully aware of the illegalities of his actions, but regardless, he sought to profit from the trade of these highly destructive commodities," he said.

"He had several trusted associates on the outside who he directed to do the dirty work, with the scope of the conspiracy spanning international borders. He showed no signs of slowing down, with connections in Holland, Hungary, Morocco, and Albania, so I welcome this sentence and the impact it will have on the organised crime group."