Five men have been jailed as police continue to crack-down on organised crime in Tameside.
Gang jailed for various offences.
Five men have been jailed as police continue to crack-down on organised crime in Tameside. The five were sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday 23rd February Stephen Cavanagh of Byron road, Denton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit affray on the first day of the trial. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison. Remi Merriman of Helston Walk, Hattersley pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit affray on the first day of the trial. He was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Louis madden of Bury New Road, Prestwich pleaded guilty on the first day of the trial to conspiracy to commit affray and possession with the intent to supply heroin. He was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Andrew Birchall of Pottinger Street Ashton under Lyne pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods. He was sentenced to ten months in prison. Marc Birchall of Adam Street, Ashton under Lyne pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods. He was sentenced to fourteen months in prison. On Tuesday 28th July 2015 Cavanagh and his group made their way to Spencer Avenue in Haughton Green where Cavanagh lay in wait for Merriman to attend a pre-arranged fight. Merriman and Madden appeared in a Land Rover Freelander, which had previously been stolen from an address in Ashton Under-Lyne on 25th July 2015 and driven to the scene by the Birchalls, and shots were fired at the Landover. Minutes later the Land Rover collided with a parked Ford Focus and a telephone signal box. The groups then fled the scene leaving a machete, hammer and a shotgun shell behind. Balaclavas and latex gloves were later recovered. Following an investigation, officers from the Tameside Challenger Organised Crime Team executed a number of warrants in the Denton, Hattersley, Ashton and Prestwich areas and the group were arrested. Detective Sergeant Joe Harrop from the Tameside Challenger Organised Crime Team, the senior investigating officer in charge of the investigation said: "I'd like to thank the public for assisting the investigation and it is thanks to their support we have been able to put these criminals behind bars. “We are committed to tackling organised criminality that impacts on our communities. I would like to thank the people of Tameside who continue to provide us with information in order to help in our fight against organised crime. "Greater Manchester Police works tirelessly to disrupt and dismantle anyone involved in organised crime, whether it is foot soldiers or those at the top of the food chain, and we will continue our pursuit of anyone involved in this criminality of the most serious kind.”