Drug dealer caught red-handed trying to sell crack cocaine and heroin to police

A drug dealer who was caught red-handed supplying crack cocaine and heroin to undercover cops in north Manchester has been jailed.

James O’Leary, 37, operated the ‘James’ drugs line over a four-month period in which he sent out flare messages to peddle heroin and crack cocaine.

Greater Manchester Police launched Operation Comanche to bring down drug dealing gangs, which saw undercover officers make over 30 test purchases from the ‘James’ line.

On 14 of those occasions they were met by O’Leary, who rode up to them on a bicycle with bags filled with wraps of crack cocaine and heroin. 

On one occasion he had a bag filled with between 70 and 100 wraps, Manchester Crown Court heard.

O’Leary, of Millway Walk, Newton Heath, was jailed for four-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to two offences of supplying class A drugs.

His offers to officers included £20 deals for a snap bag of crack cocaine and two snap bags of heroin. During the deals, he was seen with bags containing numerous wraps of the drugs.

O’Leary was said to have 18 convictions for 34 offences including producing cannabis and supplying cocaine and heroin to undercover police officers following a similar investigation.

Sentencing, Recorder Imran Shafi KC said: “You must know, being a user of heroin, of the misery that class A drugs have upon not just the users, but their family, the people they steal from, the people they lie to and the wider society.

"Also, the other crimes that fund this habit - money had to be obtained from somewhere, usually from stealing, mugging, robbing or burgling. The users have a reduced quality of life too. Essentially, you are peddling misery and death.”

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