The alleged leader of the network, Thomas Hunt (born 26 May 1977), of Bonny Brow Street, Middleton, is believed to have orchestrated the supply of Class A and B drugs across Greater Manchester and beyond. He remains wanted and is the subject of an active manhunt by GMP.
Dylan Robinson (28 August 1992), of Fallows Avenue, Middleton, received a sentence of 12 years and six months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, possession with intent to supply, and possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate.
Anthony Hunt (6 March 1985), of Rudston Avenue, Moston, was jailed for 11 years and three months after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply.
Stanley Ainsley (14 July 1967), of Birch Street, Gorton, was sentenced to eight years and seven months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply.
Graham Sykes (29 October 1962), of Moston Lane, Moston, was handed a five-year and three-month sentence for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and the production of cannabis.
Aiden Hopkins (16 April 1994), of Howe Road, Gosport, was jailed for three years and nine months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Robert Earnshaw (17 April 1996), of Law Street, Rochdale, received a sentence of three years and four months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply.
Three other defendants avoided immediate custody. Thomas Lockwood (21 September 1965), of Mossbrook Court, Collyhurst, was given a 20-month sentence suspended for 12 months, alongside 10 rehabilitation requirement days. Lisa Prescott (22 July 1985), of Henry Street, Leigh, received a 24-month suspended sentence with 100 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation requirement days. Rachel Blackburn-Stanley (31 October 1990), of Rudston Avenue, Moston, was handed an 18-month sentence suspended for nine months, with 15 rehabilitation requirement days.
The court heard that between March and October 2024 the group operated on a large commercial scale, trafficking cocaine, heroin, MDMA and amphetamine with a street value exceeding £1.8 million. The gang relied on encrypted communication platforms, multiple mobile phones, self-storage facilities and trusted couriers who transported drugs and cash across the UK, believing their methods kept them beyond police reach.
Police raids proved otherwise. Officers seized more than 15kg of cocaine, 1.8kg of heroin, 6.4kg of amphetamine, almost 7,000 ecstasy tablets, £75,821 in cash and 224 rounds of live ammunition.
Investigators identified Thomas Hunt as the central figure behind the operation. From his home, he is said to have controlled supply routes, selected storage locations and directed how drugs were processed and distributed. Although he attempted to distance himself from daily activity, surveillance showed senior members reporting back to him after deliveries and visits to stash sites.
Hunt was frequently linked to a property on Moss Bank in Manchester, where officers later uncovered 11kg of cocaine and drug-pressing equipment.
Robinson was described as Hunt’s closest associate and the network’s logistics organiser. He oversaw two storage units containing drugs and ammunition, coordinated supply to other criminal groups and managed couriers nationwide. He was repeatedly observed making handovers, visiting Hunt’s address and arranging trips to Bristol, Carlisle and Newcastle. When arrested at his Middleton home, officers found over £61,000 in cash, cocaine, heroin and keys to both storage units.
Anthony Hunt, the leader’s brother, was responsible for handling drugs and equipment. He was arrested inside a Moss Bank safe house in Crumpsall, where his DNA was later found on gloves. Further searches at his home, which he shared with Blackburn-Stanley, connected him to cocaine and heroin.
Sykes acted as a trusted courier, completing 18 journeys to locations including Carlisle, Glasgow and Gosport while maintaining constant contact with Robinson. He was stopped and arrested in Derbyshire with a kilogram of cocaine hidden in his vehicle.
Ainsley served as both courier and storeman, making repeated trips under instruction and keeping drugs at his home. Officers searching his Birch Street address discovered amphetamine, heroin, cocaine and cash.
Prescott became involved at the direction of her partner, James Close, who continued to run drug operations from prison after receiving a 36-year sentence earlier this year for his role in a separate organised crime gang. Prescott facilitated cocaine supply, was arrested alongside Anthony Hunt, and was linked by DNA to a glove carrying cocaine residue. Cash was also seized from her car and home.
Blackburn-Stanley assisted Anthony Hunt by driving him to exchanges and providing access to addresses. She was detained after visiting the Moss Bank property with him and later linked to drug-related items found at her home in Moston.
Lockwood acted as a “tester”, assessing the quality of cocaine and heroin before onward supply. Earnshaw ran a local drugs line in Rochdale, receiving Class A drugs from the group. He was arrested with cannabis and a burner phone containing messages evidencing drug supply. His relationship with Hunt’s daughter gave him access to the group’s inner circle.
Hopkins, based in Gosport, worked as a courier for a southern organised crime group that bought drugs from the Manchester network. He made nine trips north before being arrested in Hampshire with Class A drugs concealed in his vehicle and a viable firearm recovered from his home.
