Police officer ‘revelled’ in life as drugs gang leader
APOLICE officer has been revealed as the head of a drugs gang putting thousands of pounds worth of cannabis onto the streets of Wales.
Pc Daniel Aimson “revelled” in his double life – even wearing a Breaking Bad T-shirt as he posed at his secret cannabis farms, a court heard. The 36 year old, who has been jailed for six years and four months, ran the operation from factories at a newsagent and a letting firm.
After receiving intelligence, officers launched a surveillance operation, monitoring comings and goings in the weeks before their raid. When police raided the buildings they found sophisticated cannabis farms with 165 plants across the two sites, potentially worth more than £84,000.
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.”
ASERVING police officer “revelled” in his double life as the head of a drugs gang and posed in a Breaking Bad T-shirt at his secret cannabis farms.
PC Daniel Aimson, 36, was at the head of a conspiracy which put cannabis on the streets of Wales and Manchester.
He also stole the identity of an unsuspecting member of the public, taking the man’s driving licence after stopping the motorist and using it to lease one of the premises used as a cannabis farm.
To the wider public, the two drug factories were a newsagent and a letting firm. But when police raided the buildings, they found sophisticated cannabis farms with 165 plants across the two sites, potentially worth more than £84,000, a court heard.
Aimson was sacked by Greater Manchester Police in February after admitting his part in the conspiracy.
He and his “right-hand man” Hussein Mozahem, 25, who Aimson had met at the gym, had plans to expand the business, Manchester Crown Court was told. After receiving intelligence, officers launched a surveillance operation, monitoring comings and goings in the weeks before their raid. It was during their investigation that Aimson was seen wearing the T-shirt referencing the hit show.
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.”
The court heard that Aimson, Mozahem and a man named George Parkinson were involved in a WhatsApp group in which Aimson said: “Proper shift that today. Top effort.”
Aimson was on sick leave from the police during his offending.
Mr Edwards said that between January 2015 and June last year, Aimson and seven other defendants were involved in the production of cannabis on a commercial scale.
Both of the sites in Leigh, Greater Manchester, were initially leased out legitimately by Richard Grady, 31, on behalf of his company Morgan and Co, with one used as the company’s base.
The court heard that as the business began to struggle, Grady allowed Aimson, who is married to Grady’s sister, to take over the building.
Aimson told Grady that a “friend” wanted the building.
In reality the “friend” did not exist, and Aimson was using the identity of the man whose driving licence he had confiscated following a routine spot check in 2013, because it had expired.
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 later became aware of what was actually happening in the buildings but went along with it.
There were ‘sophisticated’ set-ups in both cannabis farms, with 600-watt high energy lamps, an industrial odour neutraliser to mask smells, black-out blinds as well as digital temperature and humidity monitoring.
According to prosecutors, Michael Hutton, 53, another brother-in-law to Aimson, provided the criminal links needed to sell the drugs.
Hutton was linked to Steven Hindley, 27 and from Rhyl, who is said to have purchased wholesale amounts of cannabis from Hutton on behalf of a more senior criminal in north Wales.
Jonathon Vaiders, 28, was said to be responsible for preparing and selling cannabis in Manchester, as well as selling his own supply of cocaine on the side. George Parkinson, 30, worked to maintain the cannabis farms and Christopher King, 49, provided cannabis plants to grow.
Defending Aimson, Martin Callery said: “He does not accept that he assumed some sort of fictional double life modelled on some television character.”
Mr Callery said that Aimson’s policing career had been “blighted” by three serious road traffic accidents that occurred while on duty, which he was not to blame for. In one of the incidents he only returned to work fully four years after the crash.
He said Aimson, who joined the police in 2002 after graduating from university, is having a “very difficult time of it” in prison as a former police officer.
On Tuesday, Aimson was jailed for six years and four months. A judge told him: “You let down the hard working officers of Greater Manchester Police very badly when you took on this serious criminal enterprise.”
Hussain Mozahem was jailed for three years. Richard Grady was jailed for 20 months. George Parkinson was jailed for two years and four months. Michael Hutton was jailed for three years and four months.
Christopher King was jailed for two years. Jonathon Vaiders was jailed for four years. Steven Hindley was jailed for two years and four months. There will be a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in February next year.
Aimson, of Ullswater Road, Astley, Wigan; Grady, of Park Road, Leigh; Hutton, of Pollard Street, Ancoats; King, of Bowling Green Court, Huddersfield; Mozahem, of Findlay Street, Leigh; Parkinson, of Ullswater Street, Leigh, and Vaiders, of Jaffrey Street, Leigh, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis.
Hindley, of Maesgwyn, Rhyl, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis. Aimson also admitted misconduct in a public office.
Hutton also admitted possession of amphetamine with intent to supply and Vaiders pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply.