Two drug dealers who used Metrolink to peddle Spice across the region have been jailed. Martin Alan Davies, 29, and Adam Miller, 33, took advantage of Manchester city centre's homeless population to make thousands of pounds from dealing. The pair moved into the patch after a series of successful prosecutions under Operation Gigg, the police unit set up to tackle Spice dealing, took out several prominent players. Davies, known by his first name to many drug users in the city centre, began selling Spice at South Chadderton tram stop around 2017. It is understood police were first alerted when they began receiving complaints about large groups of homeless congregating in the area and causing anti-social behaviour. The issue was traced back to the dealing of Davies and Miller, and Operation Gigg began a new investigation. Officers discovered that rather than coming into the city centre to sell small amounts at a time, the pair had established a routine of getting big groups of customers to buy direct from them on a large scale. According to a source, when the pair were ready to sell, they would text users saying they were 'switched on'. The Manchester Evening News understands groups of as many as fifteen or twenty homeless drug users would then get the tram from the city centre to South Chadderton to pick up Spice. In October and December 2018, a number of warrants were executed at addresses in the Chadderton area linked to Miller and Davies, and large quantities of drugs were seized. Police later estimated around £50,000 of Spice was found stuffed in bin bags. Davies and Miller, formerly of Whiteley Street, Chadderton, were charged and later pleaded guilty to offences including Possession of Spice With Intent to Supply, Possession of Cannabis and Possession of a Bladed Article. They were sentenced to 32 months and 39 months in prison respectively. Miller and Davies dealing is understood to have been significant and contributed to the familiar sight of Spice 'Zombies' in both Chadderton and the city centre. Police also noted at the sentencing hearing that Spice is believed to have caused at least two deaths in the city centre in 2018. Posting the court result on , GMP Chadderton added: "The investigation involved Officers from the Chadderton and Manchester City Centre Neighbourhood Teams and both caused significant issues in those Policing areas." The breakthrough comes as a police recently launched a new unit to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the transport network. Around 50 officers will patrol Metrolink and the roads to provide a 'pro-active policing presence' as well as make arrests. Previously, PCSOs and TravelSafe officers have patrolled the network but have not had the power of arrest. The launch of the Transport Unit comes after the M.E.N reported on a worrying trend of violence and anti-social behaviour on the tram network. Superintendent Julie Ellison said at the time: "The Transport Unit are commit
'The Spice tram to Chadderton': How dealers used Metrolink to peddle misery
Two drug dealers who used Metrolink to peddle Spice across the region have been jailed. Martin Alan Davies, 29, and Adam Miller, 33, took advantage of Manchester city centre's homeless population to make thousands of pounds from dealing. The pair moved into the patch after a series of successful prosecutions under Operation Gigg, the police unit set up to tackle Spice dealing, took out several prominent players. Davies, known by his first name to many drug users in the city centre, began selling Spice at South Chadderton tram stop around 2017. It is understood police were first alerted when they began receiving complaints about large groups of homeless congregating in the area and causing anti-social behaviour. The issue was traced back to the dealing of Davies and Miller, and Operation Gigg began a new investigation. Officers discovered that rather than coming into the city centre to sell small amounts at a time, the pair had established a routine of getting big groups of customers to buy direct from them on a large scale. According to a source, when the pair were ready to sell, they would text users saying they were 'switched on'. The Manchester Evening News understands groups of as many as fifteen or twenty homeless drug users would then get the tram from the city centre to South Chadderton to pick up Spice. In October and December 2018, a number of warrants were executed at addresses in the Chadderton area linked to Miller and Davies, and large quantities of drugs were seized. Police later estimated around £50,000 of Spice was found stuffed in bin bags. Davies and Miller, formerly of Whiteley Street, Chadderton, were charged and later pleaded guilty to offences including Possession of Spice With Intent to Supply, Possession of Cannabis and Possession of a Bladed Article. They were sentenced to 32 months and 39 months in prison respectively. Miller and Davies dealing is understood to have been significant and contributed to the familiar sight of Spice 'Zombies' in both Chadderton and the city centre. Police also noted at the sentencing hearing that Spice is believed to have caused at least two deaths in the city centre in 2018. Posting the court result on , GMP Chadderton added: "The investigation involved Officers from the Chadderton and Manchester City Centre Neighbourhood Teams and both caused significant issues in those Policing areas." The breakthrough comes as a police recently launched a new unit to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the transport network. Around 50 officers will patrol Metrolink and the roads to provide a 'pro-active policing presence' as well as make arrests. Previously, PCSOs and TravelSafe officers have patrolled the network but have not had the power of arrest. The launch of the Transport Unit comes after the M.E.N reported on a worrying trend of violence and anti-social behaviour on the tram network. Superintendent Julie Ellison said at the time: "The Transport Unit are commit
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