A trio of “well established criminals” from Bolton, Lancashire and Manchester plotted to sell huge amounts of hard drugs and a “Skorpion” machine pistol.
Jamaine Salmon, 32, Gary Fenton, 45 from Bolton, and Karl Francombe, also 45 from Darwen, were all involved in the conspiracy before their arrest in October 2021.
Manchester Crown Court heard how a police investigation uncovered the huge scale of their criminal operation.
Matthew Conway, prosecuting, said: “It is clear from the data that between March and June 2020 that the criminal activity of the defendants was well established and that this was only a snapshot of their wider criminality."
Mr Conway told the court how Salmon and Fenton were both “senior figures” in the Class A drugs trade while Darwen-based Francombe acted as their courier.
Using the messaging service Encrochat, often used by organised criminals, they arranged for the movement of tens of kilograms of cocaine over this period.
The movement was frequently organised by Salmon, operating under the name “Maserati Rick” and Fenton, operating as “Rarepalm”, with drugs and cash stored at Francombe’s home in Darwen.
Mr Conway said the scale of the criminal activity was shown by the scale of drugs they had been involved in moving, with Salmon connected to 7 to 8kg of cocaine, 3.25kg of heroin and 20,000 MDMA tablets.
Fenton was connected to 6kg of cocaine, while Francombe was connected to 5kg of cocaine.
Guns became involved when on April 4 2020 Fenton asked Salmon for “another strap”, street slang for a gun.
Salmon, who has six previous convictions for 16 offences, then exchanged photographs of a "Skorpion" machine pistol with an elusive Greater Manchester based gun dealer known only as “Mocky.”
The gun was then delivered to Fenton’s Bolton home, sold to him for £10,000, while Salmon and “Mocky” agreed to share profits of around £1,000 each from its sale.
Mr Conway also told the court how during this same period, Fenton, who has nine previous convictions for 17 offences, had arranged for Francombe to transfer criminal cash on his behalf.
But when the authorities in Europe succeeded in cracking criminal Enchrochat networks in 2021 it signalled the beginning of the end for their criminal conspiracy.
When the trio were finally raided by police on October 13 2021, officers found around £25,000 in cash and two Rolex watches worth around £45,000 in Salmon’s Manchester flat.
They found around £60,000 in cash at Fenton’s Bolton home, while officers also found a “personal quantity of cocaine” at Francombe’s house in Darwen.
Though they gave no comment when interviewed by police, all three pleaded guilty when brought before the courts.
Salmon, of Rochdale Road, Manchester, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs for the cocaine and heroin, purchasing a prohibited weapon for transfer, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs for the MDMA and money laundering.
Fenton, of Threadfold Way, Bolton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, acquiring a prohibited firearm and money laundering.
Francombe, of Cranberry Fold Court, Darwen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, money laundering and possession of Class A drugs.
David Bentley, defending Salmon, argued that he deserved credit for having pleaded guilty and had shown a “high degree of remorse” since his arrest, while his crimes came about after he was “blinded by avarice.”
He also pointed out he had now been on remand for nearly two years.
Mr Bentley said: “In that time he has had the opportunity to reflect upon his actions.”
He added: “He accepts and acknowledges that he has to be accountable for his own actions.”
Wayne Jackson, defending Fenton, argued that he too was entitled to credit for admitting his crimes but said that, though senior, he was not right at the top of the criminal hierarchy.
He said: “He does not ask me to advance excuses on his behalf.
“He is where he is because of his own actions, he knows this.”
Tom Lord, defending Francombe, who has two previous convictions for two offences, argued that the Darwen man had not played a “leading role” and lacked “criminal sophistication” compared to the other two.
He told the court that he had been drawn into the criminal conspiracy after getting into “financial difficulties.”
Judge John Potter accepted that all three were entitled to credit for admitting their guilt.
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But he reminded the court of the devastation wrought by the trade in hard drugs, which all three had played their parts in and the scourge of gun violence.
He said: “The commercial supply of Class A drugs within our communities causes very significant harm as does the trade in lethal firearms.”
He added: “You were inspired by greed and selfishness as you placed your own enrichment above the needs of others in our communities.”
Judge Potter sentenced Salmon to a total of 22 years in prison.
He jailed Fenton for a total of 17 years and Francombe for a total of eight years.
All three were ordered to hand over details of their finances ahead of a future Proceeds of Crime Act hearing within six weeks and were hit with Serious Crime Prevention Orders.
NCA operations manager Dean Wallbank said: “These were very dangerous men whose only interest was making vast amounts of money.
"They didn’t care how lethal their commodities were or who they ended up with.
“We built an overwhelming case against them and they had no option but to plead guilty.
“The NCA works with law enforcement partners at home and abroad to fight firearms and drugs threats, and this case shows how intrinsically linked they are.
“We will continue to do everything we can to protect the public from the harm that individuals such as these cause to society.”
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