Wigan borough 'drug lord' jailed after guns, ammunition and silencer seized.

Najeef Saleem, 45, of Smallbrook Lane, Leigh was jailed for 22 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to supply cocaine, and conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Nahidul Monaf of Rita Ave, Moss Side, was jailed for ten years.

The 36-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life and production of cannabis.

Both men were jailed following a proactive operation launched in 2019 by Greater Manchester Police, which was strengthened in 2020 after the National Crime Agency provided the force with thousands of messages from the infiltrated encrypted communications network EncroChat.

A search of a home on Kingsway in Cheadle in 2019, uncovered two self-loading pistols and ammunition hidden in a garden shed, belonging to a man doing building work on the property.

CCTV was also recovered which showed Monaf, also known as Bobby, and Saleem accessing the shed on several occasions. Forensic examinations linked Monaf and Saleem to the weapons.

Officers returned three months later to conduct further searches, finding a gun, more ammunition, and a silencer.

Saleem, who used the EncroChat handle ‘Rafaelcaroquintero’ after the Mexican drug lord of the same name, was arrested in 2020 at an address on Smallbrook Lane, Leigh.

Officers recovered around £30,000 cash, several mobile phones, paperwork, and a set of keys linked to a unit in Cheetham Hill.

Police also found a radio frequency detector – which GMP say is often used by organised crime groups to establish if their vehicles or mobiles are being tracked.

Monaf was arrested at an address on Rita Avenue, in Moss Side, where officers found cannabis plants.

Two large cannabis farms were also discovered at units in Cheetham Hill, which police describe as a “sophisticated set up with high tech, expensive equipment’ including dehumidifiers, ducting, filters, and a hose system.”

Messages found by police show Saleem purchasing large quantities of drugs and attempting to buy ammunition in bulk between April and June 2020, bragging about obtaining powerful firearms and hand grenades, saying ”250, 300, 500, as many as you can get”, and “please I need bad.”

He was also said to be discussing the ‘sick sprayer’ he had just bought while further conversations s detailed how two bullets would do the job as long as they didn’t miss.

Copious messages sharing images of drugs, cash and firearms were exchanged, and deals were made.

Saleem bragged about obtaining further powerful firearms and hand grenades.

Police believe he was a trusted member of the organised crime group, and was seen organising the collection of drugs and cash daily.

Detective Sergeant Colin Shackleton from GMP’s Serious Organised Crime Group said: “This was clearly a sophisticated operation.

"Saleem and Monaf had invested hundreds of thousands of pounds into their illicit enterprise through high quality technology and tracking devices, and the use of encrypted phones, all of which furthered their criminal business and concealed it from police.

“The extent of their criminality should not be underestimated.

"They were making vast profits from trading the deadliest commodities to anyone who would pay the price.

"Removing them from our streets will certainly have a detrimental effect on the supply chain, and every weapon we recover, and every criminal we arrest is another potentially fatal incident stopped.

“We’ve been working relentlessly to tackle firearms enabled criminality, and in the last year, we’ve seen dozens of high-risk offenders from the upper echelons of organised crime jailed for almost 300 years, with firearms recoveries and seizures increasing thanks to proactive operations like this.

“In this case and in so many others, information from communities is crucial, so if you know where dangerous weapons are being stored, carried or used, let us know and we will take positive action.”