Drug dealer who ran from police wearing girlfriend's pink dressing gown jailed for seven years
A drug dealer who fled from police wearing nothing but his girlfriend's pink dressing gown has been jailed for seven years.
Martin Joyce, 25, was filmed climbing, and falling over back garden fences as he tried to escape while trying to keep himself covered up.
Joyce was head of a drug operation and flaunted his illicit wealth on Snapchat, where he used the username 'martinjoyce903 Gang Opp' and wrote boastful captions telling people to get out of bed "and make some f*****g money".
Joyce ran the operation which worked around Ardwick Green Park in Manchester with his younger brother Dougie. He came to the attention of a specialist police operation set up to target crime groups operating in the city centre.
The probe, codenamed Operation Vulcan, worked in collaboration with the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit to flush out the gangs from the park as well as Piccadilly Gardens.
The probe found the Joyces sent out "flare messages" to more than 200 potential customers, while an undercover officer posing as a "JJ line" customer met with mountain bike-riding "runners" on at least 10 occasions and was sold crack cocaine and heroin.
In May last year, the homes of the Joyces were raided by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). Drone footage showed a naked Martin Joyce's desperate attempts to escape, jumping over fences while hurriedly attempting to pull on a pink dressing gown.
He was eventually apprehended and arrested by police in a nearby park. Officers seized large quantities of crack cocaine hidden in a shoe, £750 stashed in another shoes, £276 in a crisp packet, debtors lists, digital weighing scales, and multiple mobile phones.
The brothers' exploited the park, which had a children's playground and pathways, to engage in the sale of drugs, which resulted in the area becoming plagued with drug users. Using phone data and cell site analysis, police were able to identify a network of drug dealers. Police also uncovered hundreds of incriminating messages and photographs relating to the sale of drugs.
It was clear from the messages that the Joyces sat at the top of this conspiracy, directing vulnerable adults and young people to deliver the drugs. This group sold to drug users, rather than wholesale purchasers, often selling around £20 - £30 worth of crack cocaine and heroin at a time to users. Experts estimated the value of drugs during this period to be worth an estimated £20,000.
The brothers' arrests came when over 300 officers executed 23 warrants at addresses across Greater Manchester. During the coordinated raids police seized large quantities of crack cocaine hidden inside various household items, cash, and debtors' lists, and other drugs paraphernalia such as digital weighing scales and multiple mobile phones.
Martin Joyce, of Kenchester Avenue in Openshaw, was jailed for seven years while his brother, 22, of Reabrook Avenue in West Gorton, was jailed for five-and-a-half years. Over 20 other people were arrested in the probe and were jailed for a total of over 85 years.
Detective Sergeant Matt Donnelly, who led the undercover operation, said: "From day one, we said we would do whatever it takes to drive out crime from Piccadilly Gardens, and this operation shows just that.
"This was a well-resourced and high stakes investigation to tackle the drugs trade in Piccadilly Gardens and the surrounding areas which was causing a nuisance to local businesses, residents, and those visiting our city.
"Its success was crucial to our overall aim of improving Piccadilly Gardens, and as a result of this operation, we're confident that we have made an impact on the supply chain by securing these convictions. In order to ensure no other criminals could creep back in and fill this void, our regular patrols of the area have ramped up to provide a constant visible presence in the area, deterring criminals from thinking Piccadilly Gardens is a good place for their illicit business."
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