A MAN from Prestwich is among eight people to have been jailed for their part in a major drug operation.

The sophisticated operation was foiled after a suitcase filled with cash and cocaine was discovered at a man's house.

Andrew Booth, aged 35 of Sandy Lane, Prestwich, has been sentenced to six years and four months in prison for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

The operation was headed up by Robet Foxen, of Rocky Lane, Eccles, who has been put behind bars for 10 years.

Foxen, aged 30, spent hours co-ordinating ‘trusted’ dealers and suppliers using military-grade encrypted phones to evade detection, police said.

All the defendants pleaded guilty to a number of drugs offences at an earlier hearing and were sentenced to more than 77 years collectively in prison at Manchester Crown Court on Monday.

Patrick O’Leary and Adam Ward reported into Foxen, while his right-hand-man Alan McNally – the money man – was responsible for managing the drug empire’s cash.

O’Leary and Ward also instructed the couriers, Jordan Roberts, Jason Wilson and Andrew Booth, where to drop the drugs.

During one of these transactions O’Leary became a bit more hands-on as he was instructed by Foxen to supply Anthony Hamnett with cocaine.

A flurry of phone calls followed, as Hamnett’s car — containing 7kg of cocaine O’Leary had previously handed over — was stopped by police.

His arrest sparked panic among the other key players. Unbeknown to the group, officers were also closing in on their safe house at Maranatha Court, where police later found 5kg of cocaine hidden in a safe, intended to be distributed to customers.

Their investigation of the large scale supply of Class A drugs in Salford —known as Operation Legend — continued for several months.

Foxen and McNally thought they had hidden their involvement by encrypting the messages they sent to the dealers through state-of-the-art phones, continuing to live a lavish lifestyle while their couriers were at risk of detection.

As soon as the drugs had been given to customers, the couriers contacted McNally so he could count the cash from each of the deals, which spanned across Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

As part of their investigation, officers searched McNally’s house and found £124,000 hidden in a suitcase under his bed, alongside a detailed tick list with how much cash he had counted for each deal.

The operation was brought to a halt in late September 2017 by dedicated organised crime officers.

Police Superintendent Howard Millington of Greater Manchester Police's Salford Borough, said: "This group clearly ran a sophisticated operation, but their illicit drugs enterprise was brought to a halt by officers from the Serious and Organised Crime Group, working together with our partners and local officers.

“These individuals thought they could outsmart the criminal justice system by use of an elaborate supply network enabled by encrypted communication, in order to swamp Greater Manchester with illegal and dangerous drugs.

“However, their control is now over. They will now spend a collective seventy-plus years behind bars to contemplate their actions.

“We hope this provides reassurance to our communities that GMP continues to tackle those criminals who are not in plain view but clearly causing serious distress to others.”

A full list of those who have been sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs is below:

• Robert Foxen (12/12/87) of Rocky Lane, Eccles, has been sentenced to 10 years.

• Patrick O’Leary (10/12/67) of Adelaide Street, Swinton, has been sentenced to seven years and four months.

• Adam Ward (12/11/87) of Mitchell Street, Eccles, has been sentenced to six years.

• Andrew Booth (10/10/83) of Sandy Lane, Prestwich, has been sentenced to six years and four months.

• Dean McKenna (22/04/67) of Dover Street, Eccles, has been sentenced to four years.

• Andrew Grantham (08/09/78) of Dovedale Ave, Eccles, has been sentenced to four years and 10 months.

• Liam Carroll (29/05/98) of Prestwich Street, Burnley, has been sentenced to six years

• Michael Grattan (08/05/87) of Lower Clough Street, Barrowford, Burnley, has been sentenced to six years

• Anthony Hamnet (23/06/85) of Harold Street, Prestwich, was previously sentenced to seven years.

• Jordan Roberts (01/05/92) of Sutherland Street, Eccles, and Jason Wilson (16/06/70) of Barton Road, Eccles, have also been sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and production of Class B drugs. Roberts was sentenced to four years and Wilson was sentenced to four years.

• Alan McNally (20/10/87) of Overdale, Swinton has been sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to six years and eight months.

• Dean Ashworth (22/04/87) of Garnett Street, Burnley has also been sentenced for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, possession of Class B drugs and possession of a prohibited weapon (CS spray). He has been sentenced to six years.