Downfall of the 'Barnardo' gang who raked in millions with 'highly sophisticated' crime
manchestereveningnews.co.ukMembers of a drugs gang which supplied millions of pounds worth of cannabis across the UK have been jailed. Six defendants based in Rochdale and Bury appeared before Manchester Crown Court last week for their part in an organised crime group (OCG), labelled Barnardo, which operated for around at least a year between 2020 and 2021.
The court heard the gang produced cannabis on an 'industrial scale'. Prosecuting, Alex Langhorne said that the OCG produced 'industrial quantities' of cannabis for supply to other OCGs, including one in Northern Ireland.
This cannabis was produced in massive industrial units in St Helens and Bacup, with the six defendants in court all playing their own role. READ MORE: Strangeways prison on lockdown with families unable to visit - and claims inmates can't shower or exercise The court heard that the gang's activities first came to police attention on October 3 2020, when defendant Andrew Hall, 55, contacted fellow defendants Eneo Zace, 34, and Tedi Hyesani, 28, both Albanian nationals, before collecting cannabis from a farm in St Helens and supplying it to members of the Northern Irish OCG.
When the drugs were being transported in Northern Ireland, however, a haybale containing 50kg of the drug fell off a horsebox and was seized by police.
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