Crack gang brought down as cops spot deal in BMW

MEMBERS of a Greater Manchester county lines gang were busted by police only minutes after they launched a plot to peddle crack cocaine to addicts.

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Carlisle Crown Court heard how a criminal conspiracy to sell the class A drug on the Cumbrian city's streets had been painstakingly pieced together over several days by mastermind Anthony Shaw.

Shaw, 35, hatched a plan to supply drugs ‘from the moment he arrived in Carlisle’ during January this year, said a prosecutor, when he was housed in a homeless hostel following his release from custody.

He had previously been locked up for dangerous and disqualified driving. On January 18, he sent a message to a third party which read:

“Need to get active bro. Skint. Need to do summert (sic), but can’t yet while in here.”

Shaw recruited 22-year-old convicted robber and burglar Sean Darbyshire, who had previously been placed in the same Carlisle hostel after serving jail time.