The 2019 arrest came as a result of Operation Brookes, which focused on an organised crime group (OCG) from Manchester involved in the supply of drugs, money laundering and conspiracy to possess firearms and ammunition and explosive devices. In January that year, officers conducted a strike targeting the OCG’s suspected drugs and firearm transporter Joseph Grey, who was found to be in possession of a gun with over 100 rounds of ammunition and a homemade improvised grenade. Grey was carrying the grenade in his jacket pocket, and had allegedly collected it that very evening from an address in Merseyside before travelling back to Newton Heath. Bodycam footage from his arrest shows officers asking Grey if he had anything on him, to which he casually replied: “I think I have a grenade on me…”. Following the arrest, Grey’s house in Newton Heath was subsequently searched, leading officers to discover an encrypted phone, 9kg of cannabis in vacuum sealed bags with a street value of £90,000, and 3.6kg of amphetamine which, if mixed further, would have had a street value of £100,000. In September 2021, Joseph Grey appeared at Manchester Crown Court and pleaded guilty to firearm offences and later pleading guilty to drugs and money laundering. He was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison. Through Operation Brookes, GMP went on to identify and arrest ten members of the OCG, all of whom have been imprisoned for over forty-five-years. Detective Chief Inspector Anthony Norman, of GMP’s Serious and Organised Crime Group, said in a statement: “This was a lengthy and intricate operation dedicated to dismantling this criminal group. “It’s hard to comprehend just how damaging these weapons and drugs could’ve been on our streets had police not recovered them first. “We’ve now managed to make sure these people remain in jail for a significant amount of time, and our community is now a safer place with them behind bars. “I hope this operation sends a clear message that GMP will work relentlessly to pursue anyone involved in the supply or harmful drugs and weapons.”