Police officer tried to flood North Wales with drugs
A POLICE officer who led a Breaking Bad-style double life as the head of a conspiracy to flood North Wales and Manchester with drugs has been jailed.
PC Daniel Aimson, 36, who was seen wearing a “Heisenberg” t-shirt, the alias of the hit TV show’s anti-hero Walter White, was yesterday put behind bars for six years and four months.
Jailing the shamed officer, Judge Suzanne Goddard said: “You let down the hard-working officers of Greater Manchester Police very badly when you took on this serious criminal enterprise.”
Six other men were jailed for their roles in the conspiracy, including Steven Hindley, 27, of Maesgwyn, Rhyl, the gang’s North Wales contact, who pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis and was given two years and four months.
Hindley is said to have purchased wholesale amounts of cannabis from another gang member on behalf of a more senior criminal in North Wales.
Prosecutor Owen Edwards said: “He (Aimson) was seen at various stages on his own CCTV hard drive to wear a t-shirt depicting the lead character Walt in the hit TV series called Breaking Bad.
“The character plays a respectable chemistry teacher who adopts a professional approach to the production and distribution of the drug crystal meth, and becomes in the process a highly successful drug dealer.
“In his various text messages it is clear that Aimson revelled in his double life as officer and criminal.”
Manchester Crown Court heard Aimson stole the identity of an unsuspecting motorist, whose expired driving licence he seized, and used it to lease one of the premises from his brother-in-law whose business had run into trouble.
The two drug factories, based at commercial premises in Railway Road, Leigh, were a newsagents and a lettings firm.
But when police raided the buildings, they found cannabis farms with 165 plants across the two sites, potentially worth more than £84,000.
Aimson, of Ullswater Road, Astley, Wigan, was sacked by the police after admitting his part in the conspiracy.
He and his ‘right hand man’ Hussein Mozahem, zahem, 25, who Aimson had met at the gym, planned ed to expand the business and had conducted d cannabis s grows previously.
After rec e i v i n g intelligence, officers launched a surveillance operaation. It was dururing the investigation that Aimson was as seen wearing the t-shirt referencing the hit show.
Aimson was on sick leave from GMP during his offending.
Both of the Railway Road sites were initially leased out legitimately by Richard Grady, 31, on behalf of his company Morgan and Co, with one being used as the company’s base.
The court heard as the busi- n ness be began to str struggle, Gr Grady aa ll ll oo w e d AimsonAimson, who isis marriemarried to Grady’sGrady’s sistersister, to take over the building. Aimson said that a ‘friend’ wanted it. In reality the ‘friend’ did not exist. Aimson also tried to set up a bank account in the man’s name, but it was blocked due to discrepancies. Mr Edwards said Grady became aware of what was happening in the buildings but went along with it.
According to prosecutors, Michael Hutton, 53, another brother-in-law to Aimson, provided the criminal links needed to sell the drugs.
Jonathon Vaiders, 28, was said to be responsible for the Manchester operation, as well as selling his own supply of cocaine.
George Parkinson, 30, worked to maintain the cannabis farms and Christopher King, 49, provided plants to grow.
Defending Aimson, Martin Callery said his client did not accept he ‘revelled’ in his double life, adding the officer’s policing career was ‘blighted’ by three serious road accidents.
Aimson also admitted misconduct in a public office.
Mozahem, Aimson’s right hand man, was jailed for three years. Aimson’s brother-in-law Grady, was jailed for 20 months while Michael Hutton, from Ancoats, Manchester, was jailed for three years and four months.
Parkinson, from Leigh, was jailed for two years and four months, King, from Huddersfield, was jailed for two years and Vaiders was jailed for four years.