Big city gangs vie for control of drugs trade Dealers earning up to £3k a day on streets
Mum’s horror as tot licks ‘heroin spoon’ in park
GANGSTERS from the North West’s two big cities are vying for control of Macclesfield’s lucrative drugs markets, detectives have warned.
Officers say criminals who have established supply chains from Manchester to Liverpool are earning up to £3,000 a day from the sale of heroin and cocaine on our streets.
But police say that with heavy sentences of up to five years behind bars awaiting those who get caught, dealers are looking more and more to force local addicts to sell drugs on their behalf.
Detectives say that one common practice now used by dealers is to offer addicts cheap drugs to get them into debt, and then force them to become suppliers, often moving into their homes to use them as bases for their illicit operations.
Detective Sgt Jonathan Ryder lifted the lid on the latest methods being used by underworld gangs as two dealers from Liverpool were locked up for a total of eight years after admitting playing a significant role in selling drugs in Macclesfield. Anthony Wales and Sean Rockcliffe both admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine.
Det Sgt Ryder said the drug market was fuelling the other crimes such as shoplifting and burglary in Macclesfield. He added: “They will offer the users drugs at an incredibly cheap price to hook them on it and the user will quickly find themselves in debt to the gang.” Page 9