A drugs baron praised for his restorative justice work in a Salford prison has been jailed for 18 years and nine months.
Gregory Bell, 43, ran a UK-wide drug operation supplying vast quantities of Class A drugs to other organised criminal groups before his encrypted smartphone was accessed by police, leading to his arrest.
He previously pleaded guilty to money laundering and conspiracy to supply cocaine, diamorphine, ecstasy, ketamine, amphetamine and cannabis.
Bell used enormous profits to pay for his daughter’s private school fees with envelopes of cash, which he would leave at the school reception, Manchester Crown Court heard before he was sentenced on Monday 20 October.
Evidence revealed that the crime boss was involved in daily transactions involving multiple kilograms of cocaine, which he sold alongside heroin, MDMA, amphetamine, and cannabis, with cocaine priced at approximately £40,000 per kilogram, Greater Manchester Police outlined.
He used the funds he had accrued to purchase 34 properties, the majority of which are located in East Manchester. His portfolio included two lavish villas in Spain as well as a primary residence in the affluent Cheshire village of Prestbury, rented at £2,200 per month.
Prosecutor David Temkin KC said: “The police also discovered that Bell had a serious and long-standing addiction to gambling, spending tens of thousands of pounds at various casinos.
“By way of example, police investigations show that Bell had staked some £1.5 million at Ladbrokes with some £1.3 million in returns, and he had staked some £696,000 at Betfred with some £527,000 in returns.”
He said Bell was the head of a “highly sophisticated” organised crime group which organised large amounts of drugs to be delivered to other major suppliers across the country.
Colin Aylott KC, defending, outlined that Bell’s stay at HMP Forest Bank in Salford had allowed him to make strides towards rehabilitation through restorative justice work.
He highlighted Bell had taken “enormous steps forward in custody,” as a volunteer listener for The Samaritans. It was explained that he has “worked tirelessly to support some very emotionally troubled individuals” in this newfound role.
He received further praise for his contribution to the prison council at HMP Forest Bank where he is said to have “used his influence as a force for positive change.”
In October 2023, HMP Forest Bank was awarded Registered Restorative Status by the Restorative Justice Council, in a move which recognised the prison’s positive approach to rehabilitating inmates.
Also on Monday, Bell’s close associate, Ian Ogden, 46, of Helmshore Road, Haslingden, was jailed for 16 years and eight months, after he admitted the same offences as his boss.
A third defendant, Paul Brown, 51, of Leicester Road, Failsworth, described as a “major customer” of Bell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, ketamine, amphetamine and cannabis.
Following sentencing, Detective Inspector Richard Castley, from Greater Manchester Police’s serious organised crime division, said: “Gregory Bell was not just a drug dealer, he was the head of a criminal enterprise that reached into every corner of the UK.
“He operated like a CEO using encrypted phones, spoofed identities, and a network of couriers and safe houses to move vast quantities of drugs and launder millions of pounds.
“The scale of Bell’s operation was staggering, from the volume of drugs being moved to the number of properties he acquired through criminal proceeds. This was a man who profited from the misery that drug dealing and using has on our communities, not just in Manchester but the entire country.”
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