An Oldham man who was part of a million pound Class A drugs conspiracy and owed more than £100,000 in drug debts has been jailed.

Lee Walsh, 34, of Bakestones Avenue, Delph, has been sentenced for 14 years for his part in the supply of class A drugs in the North West.

Walsh appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown court on Wednesday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, cannabis, amphetamine, and ketamine at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how from March 2020 to June 2020 Walsh used an encrypted mobile phone, using the handle "Greenchamp" to communicate with a number of other organised crime group members to arrange the production, sale and importation of the drugs.

Following Walsh's arrest on June 9, 2021 messages retrieved from his encrypted device revealed hundreds of messages, with conversations showing that Walsh owed around £130,000 in drug debts and was attempting to purchase a gun to protect himself.

Further messages revealed that he played a role in the importation of chemicals from all over Europe and the UK which would be sent to the "chef", a term used for an individual who produces the drugs.

A large order of cannabis linked to Walsh was also found to be concealed in a shipment of chicken coming from Ireland which was intercepted.

Detective Constable Rick McIvor, of Greater Manchester Police's Tameside Organised Crime Unit, said: "This investigation is part of 'Operation Venetic', which is a National Crime Agency led operation tackling serious and organised crime across the country and is one of the largest and most significant operations of its kind in the UK.

"The use of encrypted devices, which are utilised almost exclusively by criminals to be able to communicate openly about criminal activity, is becoming more and more popular and the technology becoming increasingly sophisticated, so we have to continually keep on top of the new technologies being used so that are able to recover key evidence that is used to bring these people to justice.

"Walsh played a significant part in the supply of drugs not only into Manchester but nationwide, and I am pleased that we now have one more criminal off our streets.

"Drugs destroy communities and we will not tolerate it.

"This sentencing is another positive step towards preventing organised crime and I hope it reassures our communities that we are committed to adapting and using innovative techniques to tackle this type of crime and the advances in criminal technology."