Five caged after police shut down Oldham drug supply operation which exploited children
Members of a county line drugs gang in Oldham have been sentenced to over 17 years in prison for supplying Class A drugs, exploiting children, and operating an organised crime group. The operation, involving GMP and Oldham Complex Safeguarding Team, uncovered significant drug distribution and led to arrests across Greater Manchester. Two 14-year-old boys were identified as victims of exploitation.
County Lines Drug Gang Jailed for Over 17 Years After Exploiting Children to Sell Crack and Heroin
Six members of a county lines drug gang have been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for running a crack and heroin operation that exploited two 14-year-old boys as drug runners across Greater Manchester.
The gang, which operated the ‘Jay & Killer’ phone line from Oldham, distributed approximately 5kg of Class A drugs worth £150,000 over six months, according to police estimates. Officers uncovered thousands of flare messages advertising the drugs through a joint operation between Greater Manchester Police’s County Lines Team and the Oldham Complex Safeguarding Team.
Police executed warrants at nine addresses across Oldham, Chadderton, Stalybridge, and Rochdale on July 25, 2024, arresting six adults and two teenagers. The adults were charged and remanded the same day, while the teenagers were safeguarded after evidence revealed they had been groomed and coerced into working as drug runners.
Fahim Ahmod, 25, of Laburnum Avenue in Chadderton, was identified as the suspected controller of the drugs line and received six years and one month in prison for supplying Class A drugs and facilitating the exploitation of others. Okasha Mumed, also of Oldham, received the same sentence for supplying Class A drugs.
Ashley Cristelo, 25, of Mottram Road in Stalybridge, was sentenced to four years and one month, while Marley Nuttall-Coley, 25, of Patterdale Close in Oldham, received three years and one month. Destiny Idouzee, 19, of Collingwood Way in Oldham, was sentenced to 27 months. A sixth defendant will be sentenced on May 12.
All six defendants pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court on January 21, 2025, avoiding what would have been a six-week trial. Police identified the runners through call data showing patterns of high-volume text messages and short calls to a common number.
Detective Inspector Andy Barrett from GMP’s Oldham Complex Team said: “All of these individuals are part of a system that preys on the vulnerable and brings nothing but misery to our communities. In our investigation, we identified two victims of child criminal exploitation, who were used as a commodity to help the gang make money, and to face the dangers on the streets that they didn’t have to.”
Proceedings will now begin under the Proceeds of Crime Act to seize assets gained through criminal activity.
Source: Read original article