Greater Manchester criminals sentenced for various offenses

Several criminals were sentenced to prison this week in Greater Manchester for serious crimes. Leon Blackett, a Manchester City fan, was jailed for 44 months. He climbed onto a police vehicle during celebrations for the team's treble win, causing about £10,000 in damage. He was caught through social media and CCTV footage. A police crackdown led to the jailing of four men involved in a drug trafficking and money laundering scheme. Their operation started when police noticed a damaged car driven by Zahid Bashir. After further investigation, officers found over £23,000 in cash and drugs. Wasim Ali received 14 years, while Bashir received 4.5 years. Other gang members, Mohammed Bilal and Imran Aslam, received sentences of three years and four years respectively. Austin Kennedy was sentenced after being extradited from Ireland. He helped organize the transfer of a sawn-off shotgun between crime gangs in 2018. He fled to Ireland but was brought back to face justice for his role in the criminal activity. A cocaine gang was also broken up, with several members sentenced to over 40 years combined. They communicated too freely on an encrypted messaging service, which led law enforcement straight to them. The group was operating a cocaine-smuggling operation out of a skip hire in Wigan. These cases illustrate ongoing efforts by Greater Manchester police to tackle crime effectively in the area.