Family Day Out or Drug Dealing? Manchester Man Busted Running County Lines from Safari Park
County Lines gangs use special phone lines to push drugs from big cities to smaller towns — and sometimes just across the same city. In Manchester, police uncovered a busy County Lines operation running across North and Central parts of the city.
Police Crack Busy Drug Hotline Flooding Manchester with Class-A
In 2023, Greater Manchester Police’s County Lines Team got wind of a phone line hawking class-A drugs across the city. An investigation revealed thousands of ‘flare messages’ were being blasted to buyers—text alerts that dealers use to shout “open for business” and broadcast deals.
- Typical messages read: ‘about in car’, ‘about fast’, and ‘on till 1’.
- Drugs users were directed to multiple pick-up spots at all hours.
Jerome Gordon: Safari Park Family Trip or Drug HQ?
Police tracked the phone’s location to the Prescot/Knowsley area of Merseyside on August 21 — the day Jerome Gordon took his family to Knowsley Safari Park. But Gordon wasn’t just enjoying the wildlife. He was running his drug racket on the side.
High-Speed Chase Ends with Drug Dealer’s Arrest
On September 1, Gordon tried to flee police in North Manchester but crashed his car. While attempting to jump a fence, cops finally caught him. Inside his vehicle, officers found a mobile phone linked directly to the County Lines operation. Shockingly, the top phone contacts were Gordon’s own number and his girlfriend’s.
Police then raided two of Gordon’s addresses. They seized burner phones, cash, extra sim cards, snap bags, scales with suspicious white residue, and an iPhone.
Three Years in Prison for Manchester’s County Lines Chief
Jerome Gordon, of Hadlow Walk, pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court. He was sentenced to three years for his role in the supply of class-A drugs.
Manchester’s County Lines network just took a big hit.
