AN ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE man who was part of one of the country’s biggest drug trafficking networks has been jailed.
The final members of the gang, including head Gregory Bell, have been sent to prison.
But it has been revealed Kane O’Keefe, of Minto Street, is currently serving 12 years behind bars.
Using the handle ‘Starkforest,’ the 31-year-old was locked up for conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs and money laundering.
He was arrested in Newcastle in April 2020 while driving a van containing 58kg of amphetamine.
The van, registered to fellow member Christopher Watson’s company, was fitted with a hidden compartment used to conceal drugs.
Following a major and complex investigation by Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Organised Crime Division, Bell, of Prestbury, Cheshire, was sentenced to 18 years and nine months for his role in directing the sale and supply of Class A and B controlled drugs across the United Kingdom. He was also sentenced for money laundering.
Operating under encrypted aliases including ‘Castlenail’, ‘Rhinoradio’, and ‘Wonkyfrog’, the 43-year-old used encrypted mobile phones, spoofed identities, a network of couriers, safe houses, and criminal associates to distribute drugs on an industrial scale.
The investigation revealed Bell’s role as the head of a highly organised crime group that functioned like a business.
He managed logistics, authorised deals and collected profits, all while distancing himself from the physical handling of drugs.
Communications showed Bell giving instructions, negotiating prices, and coordinating deliveries with precision.
Evidence showed the scale of his enterprise, with deals involving multi kilos of cocaine, heroin, MDMA, amphetamine and cannabis on a daily basis.
Cocaine was regularly sold at prices between £37,000 to £43,500 per kilo, with cannabis sold between £4,000 to £4,600 per kilo.
On Monday, October 20, the court also saw the sentencing of Bell’s two final criminal associates.
Ian Ogden, of Rossendale, Lancashire, was jailed for 16 years and eight months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B and money laundering.
He used the aliases ‘Tubbytern’ and “Integralrhino” and was a criminal who ran his own drug business while also conspiring with Bell to supply drugs.
The 36-year-old arranged deals and managed logistics.
Paul Brown, of Leicester Road, Failsworth, was also handed a prison sentence of 10 years for conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs.
He fled the UK in 2020 to avoid prosecution but was arrested in Spain in 2024 following an extensive international manhunt and extradited back to the UK to face justice.
Brown played a key role in drug distribution.
O’Keefe was jailed more than two years ago but details have emerged following the final sentencing.
Watson, of Huddersfield Rd, Oldham, who ran with the handle ‘Tabooemu’ was sentenced to 16 years and six months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B and money laundering.
He was a trusted courier who transported drugs and cash across the country, regularly reporting to Bell and conducting numerous exchanges.
Welshman David Williams – who used the alias ‘Ho Ho Ho’, delivered drugs, collected payments and referred to Bell as ‘the boss’ – received a 12-year sentence for conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs and money laundering
David Walley, of no fixed abode was handed a 10-year prison sentence for conspiracy to supply Class A controlled drugs.
He was linked to storing drugs and cash at safe houses.
Nathan Hodson, of Alderley Edge, Cheshire, was sentenced to seven-years-and-six-months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs and money laundering.
Finally, a sixth man was sentenced to one-year in prison for money laundering after a large quantity of money was recovered at his home address and has since served his time behind bars.
The group operated safe houses in Bury and Alderley Edge, where drugs were stored, packaged, and distributed.
One of the properties contained 4kg of cocaine, half a kilo of heroin, £35,000 in cash, alongside drug paraphernalia, weapons, and a money-counting machine.
Another location held £150,000 in cash, further underlining the scale of the operation Bell and his associates were running.
Evidence also revealed that Bell’s couriers submitted “timesheets” to claim wages for drug deliveries.
Messages showed Bell directing transactions, approving deals, and managing disputes over drug quality and payments. Bell also discussed laundering profits through rental businesses.
It was identified that at the time of arrest in 2020 Bell owned 32 houses all of which are subject to a restraint order with a view to confiscating his benefit from criminal conduct.
Even though Bell had not declared any income for six years, it was evident that he was living a lavish lifestyle, paying £2,200 per month in cash for a luxury apartment in Alderley Edge, where officers later found £77,000 worth of designer clothing in his wardrobe.
Bell and Watson were arrested in May 2020, following a surveillance operation. Both were found in possession of encrypted devices and cash.
Bell’s vehicle contained a packed suitcase and copy of a Spanish travel document, ready to flee to the country at a moment’s notice.
Greater Manchester Police was at the forefront of a national effort, working closely with the National Crime Agency (NCA) and other regional forces as part of Operation Venetic – the UK’s response to the EncroChat takedown.
Detective Inspector Richard Castley from the force’s Serious Organised Crime Division said: “Gregory Bell was not just a drug dealer — he was the head of a criminal enterprise that reached into every corner of the UK.
“He operated like a CEO, using encrypted phones, spoofed identities, and a network of couriers and safe houses to move vast quantities of drugs and launder millions of pounds.
“Thanks to the tireless work of our officers and partners, we were able to dismantle his network piece by piece.
“The scale of Bell’s operation was staggering — from the volume of drugs being moved to the number of properties he acquired through criminal proceeds.
“This was a man who profited from the misery that drug dealing and using has on our communities, not just in Manchester but the entire country.
“Seeing Bell behind bars is another victory in our ongoing fight against organised crime. We will continue to use every tool in our disposal to bring offenders such as Bell to justice and make our streets safer.
“This case also highlights the importance of collaboration across law enforcement and the value of intelligence-led policing. We are sending a clear message: if you are involved in organised crime, we will find you, we will catch you, and we will bring you to justice.”
Hilary Ryan, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service’s Serious Economic and Organised Crime and International Directorate, added: “Gregory Bell and Ian Ogden who played a leading role in the distribution of hundreds of kilos of class A and B drugs to the North West have been jailed today.
“They believed they were operating in secret using encrypted devices but we, working closely with the National Crime Agency and Greater Manchester Police, were able to prove the scale of their organised crime group’s offending so they can be sentenced for it and prevented from spreading dangerous drugs and associated crime to the region.
“Additionally, we worked with international partners to extradite Paul Brown – one of their biggest wholesale customers – from Spain to face justice in the UK for his own drug dealing.”