Two drug dealers have been jailed following a successful operation by Programme Challenger officers in the city centre.
Artur Ruko (born 02/12/0981) of Chapel Street, Salford and Hajri Merkaj (born 03/03/1983) of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs at Manchester Crown Court.
Yesterday, Friday 11 December 2015, Artur Ruko was jailed for four years, while Hajri Merkaj was jailed for three years and seven months.
The court heard how in July 2015, plain clothes officers from the Challenger Manchester North Unit were on duty on Chapel Street when they spotted a car which had been linked to drug dealing in the city centre.
While the officers were watching, Artur Ruko walked out of an apartment block nearby and got into the car.
The officers pulled Ruko over and upon searching the vehicle discovered 17 snap bags of high purity cocaine.
Ruko’s keys were then used to open his rented apartment, which was sparsely decorated with only a bed and a few personal belongings inside.
A full search revealed £3080 in cash, several mobile phones, a drugs sales lists indicating that he had made more than £100,000 in sales in 23 weeks, photocopies of fake Italian and Greek identification with Artur Ruko’s photo on and a money transfer receipt revealing that more £16,000 had been sent back to Ruko’s native Albania.
While the officers were searching the apartment, one of them went downstairs to collect more evidence bags when he saw Merkaj waiting next to Ruko’s car. As the officer approached, Merkaj ran off but following a chase he was eventually found hiding in an air conditioning unit near to the Lowry Hotel.
When he was searched, Merkaj was found in possession of 24 snap bags of high purity cocaine, a fake Italian identification document and bank deposit slips totalling more than £6700.
Days later a second rented apartment was discovered where more cash was found.
Officers have also appealed for the public’s help to identify a man who they believe has continued to operate this drug network.
They have released CCTV images of a man who is believed to be living in the Green Quarter and Strangeways area.
Detective Constable Adam Cronshaw said: “This pair were part of a small clan based network of Albanian criminals who travelled to our city with the sole intent of supplying cocaine in the city centre and sending the proceeds back to their native country.
“These men have probably entered the UK with stolen and forged Italian or Greek passports, then used these documents to rent apartments and cars used exclusively to assist their drug dealing.
“It is vitally important that Programme Challenger continue to work hard to dismantle these organised criminal networks to prevent them from embedding in our city.
“If allowed to flourish, the scale of their operations will grow and the level of offending would escalate from drug dealing to a huge array of other types of offending, often bringing with them a very real risk of violence.
“The mobile phone number used by these drugs dealers was back up and running only days after it was confiscated after a replacement SIM card was obtained. We are now seeking to have this valuable drugs line permanently terminated.
“We would now like to know who the male in the cctv images is as we suspect him of also being involved in drug trafficking.
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Main photo: Artur Ruko and Hajri Merkaj
