A drug dealer who went by the name “Vicious Swan” became ensnared in a guns and drugs plot directed by a major underworld boss.
Danny Parmer, 42, took up the bizarre pseudonym while using the notorious Enchrochat messaging service to plot to deal cocaine, cannabis and guns between March and June 2020.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard how Parmer hoped to supply the guns to another criminal gang and enlisted the help of a Manchester criminal dubbed “Assassin New” to do so.
Prosecutor Tim Storrie said: “The criminal enterprise was based in Wigan and Danny Parmer wished to supply them.”
He added: “It was said by Danny Parmer that Wigan wanted a quantity of guns.”
Mr Storrie told the court how Parmer, who apparently had a “capacity for disclosing personal information” via the messaging system, had dealt with Manchester crime boss Asim Tufail.
Tufail was at the centre of a web of criminal activities using the Enchrochat system, where he operated under the name “Assassin New".
Parmar, of Duddon Avenue, Breightmet, had asked 52-year-old Tufail to source the guns that he would then supply to the Wigan gang.
As part of another plot, he also asked Tufail to source and supply around £40,000 worth of cocaine for him, which he would then deal in Bolton.
Messages between the pair referenced “tops and bottoms”, street slang for cocaine and heroin.
The court heard how Parmer ended up owing around £20,000 to Tufail as part of their criminal dealings together.
He was involved in yet another plot to supply cocaine and cannabis in April 2020, again organised by a series of Enchrochat messages.
According to Mr Storrie, he said he had “five people waiting for him” and arranged a rendezvous at a garage on Belmont Road, just outside Egerton.
But these dealings were brought to an abrupt stop by “Operation Guatemala”, a police investigation into Tufail’s activities.
Parmer was arrested at his Bolton home in February 2021.
He eventually pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to sell or transfer a prohibited weapon.
Tufail, of Kenmore Road, Northenden, was arrested alongside his now 23 year old son Junnaid, known as “Baby Assassin” on Enchrochat at Manchester Airport on January 18 2021.
They had been in the departure lounge waiting for a flight to Dubai when officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit caught up with them.
The older Tufail was convicted of transferring criminal property, two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, two counts of blackmail and two counts of conspiracy to sell or transfer a prohibited weapon.
ALSO READ: The court cases that shook Bolton in 2023
ALSO READ: Bolton's record high number of drug deaths
ALSO READ: Crimestoppers launches new campaign to tackle drug dealing
His son Junnaid, also of Kenmore Road, Northenden, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and three counts of conspiracy to sell or transfer a prohibited weapon.
A fourth man, 53-year-old Peter Lawlor was arrested at his home on Eton Court, Liverpool.
He was convicted of participating in the activities of an organised crime group and of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
All four, bar Junnaid Tufail, will learn their fates at a sentencing hearing before Judge Jonathan Seely to conclude on Tuesday April 5.
The younger Tufail will be brought back before the courts at a later date after a pre-sentence report has been completed.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article