Latest news with #Skorpion
Wales Online
7 days ago
- Wales Online
This man was known as 'Mr Italy' before his criminal empire fell apart
This man was known as 'Mr Italy' before his criminal empire fell apart The group he was a part of was also linked to large-scale drug supply. Andrew Cooney (Image: GMP ) A man who was found to have benefited from criminal conduct to the value of over £2 million is set to lose his luxury watches and overseas property following proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Andrew Cooney was involved in a criminal group responsible for the largest gun-running conspiracy ever disrupted by UK law enforcement. The group was also linked to large-scale drug supply, Manchester Evening News reports. The gang operated from a flat at Cotton Field Wharf, a residential development in Ancoats Marina where firearms, ammunition, drugs, and large sums of cash were stored. Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here A judge previously described the group's activity as criminality on an 'exceptional scale'. The conspiracy involved the distribution of approximately £70 million worth of cocaine and the sale of 48 Skorpion machine pistols across the UK and Ireland, at prices ranging between £9,000 and £15,000 each. Top row, left to right: Andrew Cooney, Daniel Waters, Mohammed Omar Malik and Daniel Gibbons. Bottom row, left to right: Sean Hogan, Conor Sandlan and Adrian Gonzales Cooney, who was referred to as 'Mr Italy' in reference to a property he owned there, was involved in the supply of drugs and firearms and acted as a broker for the group. At his address in Alderley Edge, police recovered a kilogram of cocaine from his Audi A3, along with two Porsche vehicles parked outside. Officers also seized a number of luxury watches, mobile phones, a vacuum packing machine, and paperwork relating to a villa in Italy. In 2023, Cooney was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Following a financial investigation under the Proceeds of Crime Act, he was found to have benefited from crime in the amount of £2,376,867.89. However, his available assets were assessed at £32,158.95. This includes a Rolex Daytona watch, an Audemars Piguet watch, and his share in the Italian property. At a hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday (May 29), Judge Bernadette Baxter ruled that if the amount is not paid within three months, a further 12 months will be added to Cooney's sentence. Under proceeds of crime legislation, prosecutors can seek to recover the financial benefit of criminal conduct, with funds often directed toward community initiatives. During his trial, Cooney told the court he had worked on a market stall as a teenager, later as a cleaner and youth worker, before moving into property auctions. He said he became involved in drug dealing due to financial pressures. Cooney, 39, of Oakfield Close, Alderley Edge, was found guilty of conspiring to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life, and conspiracy to supply cocaine. He was acquitted of conspiring to supply amphetamine. Mohammed Omar Malik, aged 33 and of St Mary's Parsonage, Manchester city centre, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, and amphetamine. He was sentenced to 38 years in prison. Daniel Gibbons, 39, of Wordsworth Road, Reddish, Stockport, was found guilty of conspiracy to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to supply cocaine, and conspiracy to supply amphetamine. He was acquitted of conspiracy to supply MDMA and was sentenced to 28 years. Daniel Waters, aged 41 and of Broom Avenue, Reddish, Stockport, was found guilty of conspiring to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life. He received a sentence of 26 years and 6 months in prison. Sean Hogan, 40, of West Park, Denton, Tameside, was found guilty of conspiring to supply firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life. He was also found guilty of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and ketamine. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison. Conor Sandlan, 32, of Redfearn Wood, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life, as well as conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, and amphetamine. He was sentenced to 30 years and 6 months. Adrian Gonzalez, aged 33 and of City Road East, Manchester, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life, and to conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, and amphetamine. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Article continues below
Daily Mirror
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Steven Gerrard's daughter Lilly-Ella shares update as she prepares to give birth
Lilly-Ella Gerrard, the eldest daughter of ex-England captain Steven Gerrard, is expecting her first child with her partner Lee Byrne, and she is set to give birth any day now Steven Gerrard's eldest daughter, Lilly-Ella, has shared that she is nearing the end of her pregnancy journey. The 21 year old influencer took to Instagram on Monday, posting two photos of herself lovingly holding her growing baby bump, captioned with 'Almost there'. Lilly-Ella announced in January that she was expecting her first child, who will also be the first grandchild for the football legend. She has been romantically involved with Lee Byrne, son of imprisoned Irish gangster Liam Byrne, since October 2022, a relationship that caused quite a stir when it was first revealed. Remarkably, the former Liverpool and England star will be just shy of his 45th birthday on May 30th when he becomes a grandfather for the first time. The parents-to-be have yet to disclose the gender of their baby, leading fans to speculate that they are keeping it a surprise until the birth. Gerrard, the former midfielder, shares four children with his wife Alex - daughters Lilly, Lexie, 19, Lourdes, 14, and a son named Lio, eight. Earlier this year, Lilly shared a photo of her positive pregnancy test with her 222,000 Instagram followers, captioning it: "Our little secret. The best news... mini us is on the way." In response to his daughter's post, Gerrard commented: "We can't wait. Congratulations and we love you." Lilly's partner, first linked to her in 2022, is the son of Kinahan Cartel gangster Liam Byrne, who is currently serving a five and a half year prison sentence for a plot to amass a collection of machine guns. Ipswich Crown Court heard how Byrne and colleague Shaun Kent planted a stash of automatic weapons was planted in an attempt to assist Kavanagh in deceiving the authorities. Kavanagh, Byrne's brother-in-law, aimed to lead the National Crime Agency, Britain's equivalent of the FBI, to the firearms in a bid to lessen his sentence in a drug conspiracy case. The collection, imported from Holland, included the Skorpion, the type of automatic weapon used to murder Ashley Dale and Ellie Edwards on Merseyside. Liam is a Kinahan Cartel's mob boss who has links to three of the most wanted men on the planet. He was reportedly released with an electronic tag as part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer's controversial Early Release Scheme to prevent overcrowding in prison. Liam's son Lee, celebrated the sentencing with a "get in there" adding "I love you da. See you soon." And Lilly followed with a snap with her beau declaring her love for him. The couple became an item after Lee moved into a gated community in Freshfield, one of Merseyside's more desirable post codes. The Byrne and Gerrard families are said to have bonded since the young couple began dating, with Lee describing Alex Gerrard, Steven's stunning wife, as his second mum. Lilly and Lee have been dating for two-and-a-half years after meeting when she was 18 and he was 23 years old. Their relationship was made public when they were holidaying together on the sunny party island of Ibiza. The pair often share pictures together on their Instagram accounts, and Lee previously referred to Lilly as "the best person he's ever met." There is no suggestion that Lee or any member of the Gerrard family are involved in crime.
ITV News
16-05-2025
- ITV News
Man convicted of killing Ashley Dale calls new witness in bid to overturn sentence
A man convicted of murdering council worker Ashley Dale has called upon a new witness to help him overturn his conviction and sentence. Season Zeisz was one of four men convicted of Ashley Dale's murder, after she was shot inside her own house in Old Swan in August 2022. Twenty-eight year old Ashley Dale's life was tragically cut short when James Witham stormed her Old Swan, Liverpool, home, breaking through her locked door to shoot her with a Skorpion submachine gun on August 21, Crown Court learned during a 2023 trial that her partner, Lee Harrison, was the actual target of the fatal shooting. During his trial a jury heard that, while Zeisz did not pull the trigger, he "actively and intentionally encouraged the shooting". Zeisz and his co-defendants James Witham, Joseph Peers and Niall Barry were unanimously convicted by a jury after a seven-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court in late 2023. Zeisz was handed a life sentence with a minimum of 42 years behind bars. Zeisz was due to bring his case before the Court of Appeal on Friday 16 May to challenge his conviction and sentence. Shortly after the hearing began, his counsel Adam Davis KC and Tim Forte KC applied to adjourn while they confirmed if a new witness was willing to give evidence. Mr Davis told the court it was "regrettable" but "we received last night a witness statement type-signed but not hand-signed from a witness who evidence had been chased from". He said it was their "preliminary view" that the witness's evidence was relevant to the case review but they wanted to make sure he was willing to give the evidence in Davis told the court: "The evidence was not available to the applicant at trial. It is our firm view that this evidence could assist. It is a matter for the court to admit the evidence." Lord Justice Baker, who presided over the hearing with Mr Justice Soole and Her Honour Judge Heather Norton, said it was difficult to adjourn the matter without knowing the nature of the evidence. Mr Davis responded: "I think the content will reveal not only the subject matter but also the identity of the person." He added: "Our concern is about the safety of the witness."He added the witness had indicated "a reluctance and fear [to give evidence] and we have to be alive to that". Mr Davis told the court: "The indication is the witness was panicking, on medication as a result of these matters."He indicated he did not want to be dragged back into it, did not want his name in the papers. He indicated he's still not alright now but is willing to provide the evidence… we are resistant to give further details." After the judges rose briefly, Lord Justice Baker confirmed the matter was adjourned so Zeisz's counsel could obtain a signed statement from the unnamed witness to adduce the fresh evidence. The case will next be heard before the Court of Appeal on July on the murder trial heard gunman Witham and "driver" Peers, were "dispatched" to Leinster Road to assassinate Harrison and "leave no witnesses". They received their orders from Barry and Zeisz, who were said to have been directing operations from a flat on Pilch Lane in Huyton. The court heard "certain events at Glastonbury Festival" in June 2022 had played an important part in the alleged motive behind the attack. This included associates of Ms Dale's boyfriend Harrison assaulting Zeisz, who was arguing with everyone in defence of Barry. Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told the trial: "It is clear that Sean Zeisz felt deeply humiliated from what had happened at Glastonbury." The court also heard that Barry then sided with Zeisz, with this "fresh" dispute having compounded a "separate and longstanding antagonism towards Lee Harrison", who was not present at the time of the attack.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Manchester's self-styled 'Rocky' jailed for selling guns and drugs
A professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter who once described himself as Manchester's answer to Rocky Balboa has been jailed for dealing drugs and selling Menga, who also called himself The Italian Stallion, was caught when the National Crime Agency (NCA) infiltrated a once-encrypted messaging service. The NCA said Menga, 37, boasted in Encrochat conversations that he had Skorpion automatic machine guns that were "always good for a rainy day".Menga, of Salford, was sentenced to 15 years and five months when he appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday. Menga, of Mount Street, Swinton, admitted conspiracy to sell or transfer banned weapons and cocaine detectives trawled through thousands of anonymous Encrochat messages which detailed drug deals, firearms sales, and assassination attempts, the NCA identifying Menga through messages in which he openly spoke about his girlfriend, knee injuries from fighting, and his home gym, detectives knew Menga was the man behind the handle "wirelessshark". 'Evidence trail' A drugs expert estimated Menga was involved in drugs with a street value of between £490,000 and £620, was arrested when his home was raided on 15 January NCA said: "Menga, like many criminals before him, thought he was hiding behind a secure communications system."Instead, he created his own evidence trail that has led them straight to jail."In December 2017 Menga told BBC Three of his ambitions to rise up the UFC (Ultimate Fight Club) rankings as a had just received notice of his debut UFC fight."For me this is a Manchester Rocky story," he said. "A lad from Manchester takes a fight on 12 days' notice."The Rocky movie franchise features a rags-to-riches story of fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer
Sky News
23-04-2025
- Sky News
MMA fighter Pietro Menga jailed for 15 years for drugs and firearms offences
An MMA fighter known as the "Italian Stallion" has been jailed for 15 years and five months for drugs and firearms offences. Pietro Menga had a day job as an MMA fighter, even signing for UFC, but Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said he also had a "lucrative job as a middleman for an organised crime group". The force said Menga was involved in sourcing "large quantities of cocaine". On Tuesday, the former fighter was jailed after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to supply cocaine. GMP officers became aware of Menga after the National Crime Agency infiltrated the once encrypted messaging platform EncroChat. The 37-year-old was identified through messages where he openly discussed his girlfriend, his knee injuries from fighting and his home gym. Under the username "wirelessshark", Menga also openly spoke about buying and selling drugs and guns. He was involved in an estimated sale of drugs worth between £490,000 to £620,000, police said. 'Always good for a rainy day' In one message, Menga refers to a Skorpion automatic machine gun as a "tastey [sic] bit of kit", adding the weapon was "always good for a rainy day". Officers discovered several similar conversations of this nature, with Menga trying to source guns for others. Menga was arrested on 15 January 2024. EncroChat crackdown Menga's arrest comes as part of GMP's response to the national takedown of EncroChat. It came under Operation Foam, which has seen more than 300 arrests, with more possible. GMP said it had arrested "kingpins", as well as "middle-tier criminals". Detective Constable Shiels from GMP's Serious Organised Crime Group said: "The level that Menga operated at showed he clearly had an established list of criminal contacts, one which will have been built over several years under the radar, facilitated by the use of EncroChat."
