A MASSIVE million pound drug dealing operation masterminded by a Leigh man was smashed by police following a six month investigation.

At Manchester Crown Court 31-year-old James Close, of Cloisters Avenue, Leigh, was jailed for 13 years and nine months after admitting conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Thirteen other men, mainly from the Leigh area, were also jailed for related offences.

The sentences were a major coup for Titan, the North West’s Regional Crime Unit following an operation which started in May last year when officers spotted 34-year-old Christopher Coppell, from Stanley Drive, Leigh, handing over two large holdalls to Liverpool man, 55-year-old Kevin O’Leary on a quiet street corner in Leigh.

When police stopped O’Leary’s van a short time later, £541,895 was found hidden in a concealed compartment and several telephones were seized which revealed Close had orchestrated the exchange.

Two weeks later Coppell was in action again, making an exchange in a Leigh street with 56-year-old Boyd Gibson, of Ribble Grove, Leigh.

When police searched Coppell’s home they recovered £470,395 and found a spare bedroom set up as a money counting and packaging operation.

More than £150,000 was also found concealed in Boyd Gibson’s van along with fingerprints belonging to 29-year-old James Gibson, of Harvest Way, Leigh.and a further £6,000 and mobile phones hidden in Boyd Gibson’s home.

Gloucester based drug courier Simon Fowler was arrested following a drugs exchange in Leigh involving James Gibson, 32-year-old Patrick Roach, from Bright Street, Leigh and Michael Siddeley, aged 21, of Palace Grove, Leigh.

Then, on October 17 last year Patrick Roach was stopped by police, who recovered a sawn off shotgun and shotgun shells from his van.

A further drug deal was observed by police in Swinton on October 30 involving Anthony Smith, aged 32, of Wyndham Avenue, Swinton, 27-year-old Sean Smith and 33-year-old David Knight, both of Carders Close, Leigh.

And when Smith later met up with 39-year-old Sam Reynolds, from Mardale Close, Atherton, to hand over more cocaine police stopped both men’s cars.

When Reynolds tried to escape he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a petrol station.

James Gibson and Siddeley were arrested after they drove to Staffordshire to meet up with Worcester men Michael Nicolls and Richard Johnston.

Detective Superintendent Jason Hudson, head of operations for Titan, said: “James Close was effectively the patriarch of a crime gang involved in criminality that spanned dirty cash, drugs and firearms.

“These men and their associates are involved in crime for the sole purpose of making money, so to hit them so hard and so deep in the pocket by recovering £1.2m - that we believe to have been amassed entirely through their criminal enterprises - is a massive result.”

James Gibson was jailed for nine years and six months for conspiracy to launder money and supply heroin and Roach was jailed for 10 years and six months for supplying heroin, possessing a shotgun and ammunition.

Eight other men were jailed for conspiracy to supply either heroin or cocaine. They are: Fowler, three and a half years; Siddeley, three and a half years, Nicholls, five years; Johnston, five years;Smith, four years and five months; Knight, four years and five months; Smith, 12 years and eight months; Reynolds, six and a half years.

O’Leary was jailed for three years and seven months for conspiracy to launder money and Coppell was jailed for four years and 10 months for the same offence.

Boyd Gibson was imprisoned for 27 months for conspiracy to launder money and drugs offences.

A Proceeds of Crime hearing will be held at a later date to strip the offenders of their illegal gains.