Wigan gang members jailed for a total of 47 years after detectives uncovered ‘gun for hire’ plot

Detectives say the pistol-toting thugs, whose criminality at one point led to the serious injury of a taxi driver in a car smash, had links to an organised crime group which had been involved in a number of disputes with other criminals.

The first incident occurred on Sunday December 8 2019 when Aaron Gray and Dominic Hughes took part in a drive-by shooting drove at premises on Eccles New Road, Salford.

When fleeing the scene, the pair caused a road smash in which a local cabbie suffered serious injuries which left him unable to work for months, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The group were caught on CCTV running from the chaos they’d caused and disposing of their clothes, balaclavas, and the loaded firearm in a nearby bin.

On Monday April 27 2020, Greater Manchester Police executed a warrant at an address in Radcliffe connected to Ian Wharmby. Here, officers recovered a firearm, wrapped in a sock, hidden behind a fridge. Examinations confirmed this was the firearm used to fire a bullet at a house on Coniston Avenue, Whitefield.

During the search of his home, officers were able to recover mobile devices that helped link the firearm to each of the men associated with the conspiracy, including messages from Craig Walker where he arranged to obtain the firearm for Jacob Smith who had decided to take matters into his own hands after an alleged attack on a family friend.

These texts detailed the entire transaction and more.

Within 30 minutes of the transaction, Wharmby was tasked with dropping the firearm off in Swinton. In an attempt to evade detection during the peak of COVID lockdown, he used his work van to transport the firearm as he thought that would be less suspicious.

In addition to the firearms offences, each of the individuals were heavily involved with the supply of cocaine, heroin, and cannabis.

Dominic Hughes, 29, of Glover Court, Leigh, was found guilty of two counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life, possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear and aggravated vehicle-taking. He pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis. He was jailed for 18 years.

Aaron Gray, 26, of no fixed address, was found guilty of two counts of possessing a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life and aggravated vehicle-taking. He admitted to possession of cocaine with intent supply and was jailed for 14 years.

Craig Walker, 40, of Warrington Road, Wigan, and 21-year-old Jacob Smith, of no fixed address were both found guilty of firearm and ammunition possession and ammunition with intent to endanger life. They were jailed for six years apiece.

And Ian Wharmby, 29, of no fixed address, was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, heroin, and cannabis. He was sent down for three years and six months.

Det Insp Rick Castley of GMP Serious Organised Crime Group said: “This is another example of a successful operation that has taken out offenders involved in serious and organised crime. This group have been terrorising the community who have been stuck in the middle of their petty disputes, and it has resulted in innocent members of the public being seriously harmed just because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I know that at the time of us conducting this operation there may have been concern in the local community, but I hope the action we took back then, and todays convictions, shows GMP’s commitment to ensuring dangerous individuals are taken out of society and put behind bars for a long time.

“This investigation was extensive, and it was meticulous. My team spent hours trawling through CCTV, thousands of text messages, taking witness accounts and combing through forensic evidence.

“We understand our fight against organised crime is far from over but let this be a warning that we will vigorously pursue offenders involved in this type of crime in order to make our communities safer.”

Communities are a vital part of helping to reduce crime and providing police with information that may assist with our on-going investigations. Anyone with information relating to serious and organised crime, is asked to report it via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or Greater Manchester Police by calling 101.