Three men have been jailed after police dismantled what they described as a highly sophisticated mail-order drugs gang that operated on an industrial scale.
The Operation
Iain Potter, Jack Wright and Ross Fathi ran a large-scale operation from a warehouse in Edenfield, Bury. They used Royal Mail to send thousands of drug-filled parcels to addresses across the UK. Police said the unit was equipped with packaging stations, vacuum sealers and label printers, along with hundreds of Royal Mail bags ready for shipping.
When officers searched the site, they discovered a wide range of illegal drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, magic mushrooms, cannabis resin and THC edibles, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Scale of the Enterprise
Royal Mail records show that the criminal trio sent 1,724 parcels between February and April 2025, each weighing between 0.1kg and 10kg. A fake return address was placed on every parcel to avoid detection if intercepted. Police estimate that at least 19kg of cocaine was delivered through the operation, with drugs worth a total of £2.2 million. Encrypted mobile phones and £13,000 in cash were also seized.
Officers apprehended Potter and Wright in Ramsbottom in April 2025 after stopping them with a suitcase containing 5kg of skunk. Packages found at their homes contained additional drugs such as MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and cocaine. Fathi, who used the alias 'A Sam Poland A', was arrested at the Edenfield warehouse and later linked to the conspiracy through evidence from encrypted messaging platforms.
Sentences
Potter, 45, of Sefton Drive, Liverpool, and Wright, 30, of Westgate Lane, Wakefield, each received 11 years and four months in prison after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs. Fathi, 46, of Wingfield Drive, Wilmslow, was sentenced to six years for his role, having been convicted of the same offences.
Det Con Liam Smith from GMP's Serious Crime Division said: "This was an organised criminal enterprise on an industrial scale. They acted as a legitimate outfit, flooding drugs via parcels throughout the country. Potter, Wright and Fathi used encrypted devices, fake addresses, and sophisticated packaging methods to evade detection. The quantity of drugs and the planning shows they were not small-time dealers; they ran a criminal outfit maximising profits daily. This sentencing sends a clear message: if you engage in drug supply, we will find you, dismantle your network, and bring you to justice."
