Three individuals have been imprisoned following the dismantling of an elaborate drug distribution network that utilized Royal Mail services to transport millions of pounds worth of illegal substances across the United Kingdom.
Iain Potter, Jack Wright, and Ross Fathi managed a large-scale operation based in Edenfield, Bury, equipped with various tools such as packaging stations, vacuum sealers, label printers, and a substantial stock of Royal Mail bags for shipping.
During a police raid on the distribution center, a wide array of illicit drugs including cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, cannabis resin, and THC edibles were seized.
The gang dispatched a total of 1,724 parcels weighing between 0.1kg and 10kg each between February and April 2025, with fake return addresses used on every package to obscure their trail.
Authorities estimated that the group distributed approximately 19kg of cocaine, valued at around £2.2 million. Additionally, encrypted mobile phones and £13,000 in cash were confiscated during the operation.
Potter and Wright were apprehended in Ramsbottom in April 2025 while carrying a suitcase containing 5kg of skunk cannabis. Subsequent searches of their residences uncovered more drugs and packaging materials, including MDMA, ketamine, LSD, and cocaine. Fathi, known under the alias “A Sam Poland A,” was arrested at the Edenfield unit and later linked to the scheme through encrypted messaging applications.
Potter, aged 45 from Sefton Drive, Liverpool, and Wright, aged 30 from Westgate Lane, Wakefield, were each sentenced to 11 years and four months in prison for conspiring to supply Class A and Class B drugs. Fathi, aged 46 from Wingfield Drive, Wilmslow, received a six-year sentence for the same offenses.
The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) characterized the operation as a sophisticated drug supply network, emphasizing the organized and large-scale nature of the criminal enterprise.
Detective Constable Liam Smith from GMP’s Serious Crime Division remarked on the industrial scale of the criminal operation, highlighting the group’s use of advanced methods to avoid detection and maximize profits.
The sentencing serves as a stern warning to those involved in drug trafficking, signaling the determination of law enforcement to dismantle such criminal networks and bring offenders to justice.