Members of a Greater Manchester county lines gang were busted by police only minutes after they launched a plot to peddle crack cocaine to addicts.

Carlisle Crown Court heard how a criminal conspiracy to sell the class A drug on the Cumbrian city’s streets had been painstakingly pieced together over several days by mastermind Anthony Shaw.

Shaw, 35, hatched a plan to supply drugs “from the moment he arrived in Carlisle” during January this year, said a prosecutor, when he was housed in a homeless hostel following his release from custody. He had previously been locked up for dangerous and disqualified driving.

On 18th January he sent a message to a third party which read: “Need to get active bro. Skint. Need to do summert (sic) but can’t yet while in here.”

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