Six Men Jailed After NCA Busts Cocaine Gang and Torture Plot in Manchester
Six men have been found guilty following a National Crime Agency (NCA) probe into a major cocaine supply ring and a chilling plan to torture and rob a Manchester man’s home and business.
Drugs Worth £250K and Violent Robbery Plot Exposed
The gang, from Manchester, Warrington, and Hertfordshire, were involved in trafficking nearly a quarter of a million pounds’ worth of cocaine. Five of them also hatched a brutal robbery plan aiming to bind victims and even cut off one man’s ear.
The convicted culprits are:
- William Skillen
- Wayne Simmonds
- Chris Sammon
- Gerard Boyle
- Gary Betts
- John Sammon
Grotesque Torture Threats Caught on Tape
Undercover recordings captured Gary Betts, 57, of Firswood, Manchester, boasting about a “nice job” that would earn “plenty of dough.
Betts, joined by Gerard Boyle and brothers Chris and John Sammon, plotted the raid at Boyle’s plastics recycling firm office. Their target? A home in Greater Manchester believed to hold a large cash stash.
Betts said: “His dad’s an old man and there’s only one kid in the house… You’ve got to give him a f****** slap… To tell you where the dough is.”
Wayne Simmonds agreed to mastermind the robbery and discussed using a contact who impersonated police officers, equipped with blue emergency lights, to break in.
The gang didn’t shy from the violent details. Betts was overheard:
“I’d just walk in and I’ll just bang him and just tie him up, and cut his ear off… Believe me I’ll blowtorch your balls and cut your ear off… Put it this way I know an iron hurts in your chest.”
Hit with Drugs and Violence Charges
Besides brutal robbery plans, the men discussed buying and selling around five kilos of cocaine. Searches at Boyle’s premises and a Southampton property tied to Simmonds uncovered 100 grams of cocaine, drug presses, and 3 kilos of Boric acid—used to boost or cut drugs.
On 11 May last year, the gang was arrested along with William Skillen, 35, from Warrington, also involved in the drug trade.
Following a seven-week trial at Manchester Crown Court, the six men were found guilty on all charges. Sentencing is set for 23 August.
NCA Vows to Take Down Dangerous Drug Lords
NCA Operations Manager Jon Sayers said:
“These men were clearly very dangerous, willing to carry out abhorrent violence in pursuit of their aims.”
“They used a business premise to openly discuss their serious and organised drug dealings.”
“With help from the Met Police Flying Squad and Greater Manchester Police, we secured these arrests and the evidence leading to today’s verdicts.”
“Class A drugs fuel violence and exploitation. The NCA and partners will keep hunting down offenders and bringing them to justice.”
