News Beat
Manchester Airport cocaine smuggling gangs brought down
Walkden man Dale Creen, 34, was found not guilty of conspiracy to import Class A drugs by a jury at Bolton Crown Court but was convicted of possession with intent to supply cocaine.
Bury man Dale Hosker, 49 and Albanian nationals Elton Hallaci, 32, and Artur Iseberi, 27 had already confessed to their roles in the scheme to smuggle cocaine through Manchester Airport.
National Crime Agency branch commander Cat McHugh said: “These offenders were part of crime groups that were moving significant amounts of cocaine across the country, wreaking harm to our communities and wider society.
“Like other hardened criminals, their thirst for money and riches drove them, but an excellent, tenacious NCA team conducted a painstaking investigation involving thousands of hours of work.
“The NCA continues to work with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat of Class A drugs.”
The NCA says that criminals based in America and Mexico masterminded plots to move the Class A drug on flights from Cancun to Manchester Airport.
Last year, seven US citizens who acted as couriers, were jailed for collecting the cocaine at Manchester Airport and passing it on to UK-based co-conspirators who were waiting for it.
The Americans flew into Manchester from the United States without any luggage and waited until bags arrived on flights from Cancun.
They followed text message instructions from a US organiser called “Nate” to collect specific suitcases containing hundreds of kilograms of cocaine.
They then transferred the cases to waiting accomplices at nearby locations, who were also in touch with Nate.
Hallaci and Iseberi, 27 were members of one gang involved in the scheme to move the cocaine on.
Hosker and Dale Creen belonged to a second gang that was also involved in collecting the cocaine from the American couriers and distributing it across the country.
On May 11 2024, eight suitcases arrived at Manchester Airport from Cancun and Barbados.
Couriers collected them from the carousels, wheeled them outside and caught taxis to a nearby hotel where they passed five of them to Hallaci and Iseberi, and two were passed to Hosker.
But one of the American couriers left a case behind which Border Force officers opened and discovered 20 one-kilogram blocks of cocaine.
The NCA investigation showed that on that day, the Albanians collected 100kg of cocaine.
A few weeks later on May 31, 300kg of high purity cocaine with a street value of around £24M was smuggled into Manchester Airport in 12 suitcases.
Seven couriers were sent to collect them but only one woman was successful and was directed to Bury to hand over the drugs to Creen and Hosker.
The other suitcases were seized, each containing between 22 and 24 blocks of cocaine and a tracking device.
Hallaci, Iseberi, Hosker and Creen were arrested on 17 June 2025 by NCA officers.
Inside Hallaci’s home, officers found keys to a Jaguar car parked outside with professionally fitted hidden compartment between the rear seats and the boot used for smuggling drugs.
Officers also discovered notepads with detailed ledgers of cocaine importations referencing handovers that both Hallaci and Iseberi were involved in on May 11.
The notebooks, written in Albanian, contained Hallaci and Iseberi’s fingerprints, indicated how the drugs would divided with 30kg going to Bradford, 35kg going to London, 8kg to Birmingham.
As part of the investigation, NCA investigators also seized two other Jaguar cars belonging to the Albanian gang which were fitted with after-market hides.
They were also captured on CCTV at Manchester Airport on the days of the importations.
And one courier even took a photograph of Hosker over his shoulder following a cocaine handover.
On the day the men were arrested, Iseberi tried to escape along the roof of his home, and in Creen’s bedroom officers found an axe, a knife and a machete.
On the eve of their trial earlier this month, Hallaci, Iseberi and Hosker pleaded guilty to smuggling cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to supply.
Creen was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to supply but acquitted of smuggling cocaine.
The men will be brought back before Bolton Crown Court for a mention hearing on Friday January 30 for a sentencing date to be fixed.
