Daily Mail

24 years in jail for the cocaine baron who ran £100m ‘business’

- By Liz Hull

HIS registered company had all the trappings of a legitimate successful business, with a logistics team and investment adviser. But Marcus Callaghan’s firm was a front for a ruthless and profession­ally run £100million drugs empire.

He bought Callaghan Solutions Ltd’s favoured clients £400 bottles of pink champagne and rewarded their loyalty with ‘corporate hospitalit­y’ breaks to luxury hotels. But Callaghan, 34, saw his empire crash after police stopped one of his couriers and discovered cocaine worth £4million in a car boot.

The drugs were traced back to Callaghan and on Tuesday he was jailed for 24 years at Manchester Crown Court after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs, plus conspiracy to acquire criminal property. He was cleared of possessing a firearm.

Detectives had been tracking Callaghan’s operation since he was named as a suspect in the murders of two hitmen shot dead following a bungled gangland execution in a Salford pub in 2006.

In February, police intercepte­d one of his couriers on his way to Teesside and found the cocaine. In a series of raids, officers seized heroin, cocaine and cannabis worth £32million, £200,000 in cash and a list of debtors. A drug dealers ‘manual’, instructin­g them how to avoid detection,

 ??  ?? Marcus Callaghan: Set up a company was also recovered. Callaghan was arrested at his canalside apartment in Stalybridg­e, Manchester, where police found a rapid fire machine pistol, ammunition and drugs, the court heard.Callaghan employed a ‘money man’ to launder his cash and had his own expense account for corporate entertainm­ent.He had denied being the gang boss, claiming he was merely a ‘local manager who provided a safe house’.Seven other men involved in the operation were jailed for between four and 21 years. An eighth will be sentenced today.
Marcus Callaghan: Set up a company was also recovered. Callaghan was arrested at his canalside apartment in Stalybridg­e, Manchester, where police found a rapid fire machine pistol, ammunition and drugs, the court heard.Callaghan employed a ‘money man’ to launder his cash and had his own expense account for corporate entertainm­ent.He had denied being the gang boss, claiming he was merely a ‘local manager who provided a safe house’.Seven other men involved in the operation were jailed for between four and 21 years. An eighth will be sentenced today.

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