Three individuals have been imprisoned following the disruption of an elaborate illicit drug network that utilized Royal Mail services to distribute millions of pounds worth of drugs throughout the UK.

Iain Potter, Jack Wright, and Ross Fathi managed a large-scale operation from a distribution center in Edenfield, Bury, equipped with various packaging tools and Royal Mail supplies. The police uncovered an array of illegal substances during a raid on the facility, including cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, cannabis resin, and THC edibles.

The gang dispatched 1,724 parcels weighing between 0.1kg and 10kg each, concealing their identities with fake return addresses. Authorities estimated that the group circulated approximately 19kg of cocaine, totaling around £2.2m in value. Encrypted phones and £13,000 in cash were also confiscated during the investigation.

Potter and Wright were apprehended in Ramsbottom after being found with a suitcase containing 5kg of cannabis. Further searches of their residences revealed additional drugs and packaging materials. Fathi, identified as the gang’s courier and packer using the alias “A Sam Poland A,” was arrested at the Edenfield facility, with encrypted messaging apps linking him to the conspiracy.

Potter, aged 45 from Sefton Drive, Liverpool, and Wright, aged 30 from Westgate Lane, Wakefield, received sentences of 11 years and four months each for conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs. Fathi, aged 46 from Wingfield Drive, Wilmslow, was sentenced to six years for the same offenses.

Describing the operation as a “highly sophisticated drug supply network,” Greater Manchester Police (GMP) emphasized the meticulous planning and scale of the criminal enterprise. Detective Constable Liam Smith from GMP’s Serious Crime Division highlighted the organized nature of the operation and the group’s efforts to evade detection through various means.

Smith stated, “The sentencing serves as a clear message that engaging in drug supply will not go unpunished. We are committed to dismantling such networks and bringing those involved to justice.”