Three men have been jailed after a major investigation brought down their drug trafficking empire
A man who ran one of the country’s biggest drug trafficking networks Gregory Bell aged 43 of Scottmount, Prestbury, has been 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. Bell was also sentenced for money laundering.
Operating under encrypted aliases including ‘Castlenail’, ‘Rhinoradio’, and ‘Wonkyfrog’, Bell 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 Bell’s 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.
The court also saw the sentencing of Bell’s two final criminal associates.
Ian Ogden aged 36 was jailed for 16 years and eight months for conspiracy to supply Class A and B and money laundering. Ogden 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 aged 51 of Leicester Road, Failsworth, was also handed a prison season of 10 years for conspiracy to supply Class A and B controlled drugs. Brown 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.
Bell, Ogden and Brown join six fellow members of the Organised Crime Group behind bars, after they were sentenced on 13 July 2023.
