A man who manufactured more than 38,000 ecstacy pills in a “makeshift lab” in Manchester has been handed jail time.
Jian Huang has been sentenced to nine years behind bars.
The 44-year-old appeared Manchester Minshull Street Court yesterday (Monday 23 January), and was sentenced after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to possession with intent to supply class A drugs.
It comes after approximately 38,500 ecstasy tablets were seized by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in April of last year, after officers attended an anonymous call for a concern for welfare at an address on Arran Street in Moston following reports that an argument could be heard coming from inside the house, and a women and children could be heard shouting.
Police attended the scene on 19 April 2023, and, despite such little information available to them, then conducted several house-to-house enquiries.
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GMP said Huang was acting “extremely evasive” to questions he was asked relating to his female partner and children, which therefore “raised concerns”.
This was all before officers went on to discover the property was being used as a “makeshift lab”.
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#JAILED | Jian Huang was sentenced to 9 years at Manchester Crown Court yesterday (Monday 23) for drug offences.
Approximately 38,500 ecstasy tablets were seized by officers.
Upstairs bedrooms inside the address were found padlocked, but when Huang said he had no keys to these rooms, forced entry was used, and an extremely-large amount of class A drugs, a tablet production machine, and loads of associated manufacturing equipment was found.
The drug was discovered in various stages of preparation – some were suspended in liquid, and some were drying, as well as more than 38,000 tablets.
GMP say they believe the pills were being “prepped for sale”, and were likely bound for Parklife festival due to time time when they were recovered.
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Man jailed after manufacturing 38,000 ecstacy pills in a ‘makeshift lab’ in Manchester / Credit: GMP
Detective Constable Heather Gore, who is from GMP’s North’s Challenger organised crime team, said response officers did an “outstanding” job in “bringing Huang to justice”.
DC Gore continued: “It looked like Huang was preparing to sell these drugs which would have likely ended up at festivals such as Parklife,
“So seizing such a huge quantity was a significant result.
“The address appeared to be a laboratory for converting ecstasy from its liquid form, to a pressed tablet. There was approximately 38,500 ecstasy tablets, 7kgs of unpressed ecstasy, and 10 litres containing methylamphetamine.
“The tablets alone have a street value of approximately £385,000.”
Featured Image – GMP
News
A Greater Manchester neighbourhood has been named one of the ‘coolest’ in the UK
Clementine Hall
A neighbourhood in Great Manchester has been crowned one of the coolest in the country – and this time, it’s not Ancoats.
Every year, we wait with bated breath to see which UK neighbourhoods have made the cut in Time Out’s annual ranking of the coolest places in the world.
But, as it turns out, Britain is just so damn cool that we’ve earned a list of our own.
In its latest guide, ’11 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the UK’, Time Out has rounded up the places across the country that are really making a name for themselves.
Images: The Manc
And one neighbourhood here in Greater Manchester has made the cut, and although you’d immediately think of Ancoats that has made its way to similar lists before, this time there’s a newbie on the block.
Coming in at a very respectable fourth place, Stockport and the Underbanks received a glowing report in the coveted list.
Images: The Manc
Are we surprised? Not one bit.
We love Stockport for its flourishing food scene, cool community vibe and ever-growing roster of independent businesses – not to mention its brilliant mix of old-school charm and new-school cool.
It’s a place that feels like it’s constantly evolving, without losing the character that made people fall in love with it in the first place. And clearly, Time Out agrees.
Images: The Manc
Kyle MacNeill, contributing writer, said: “If you live anywhere near Manchester, you may have heard this one on the rumour mill: ‘Stockport is The New Berlin’. It’s a gag, alright: the humble market town hasn’t got a club, let alone the most hedonistic nightlife scene in the world. But it is true that SK is rapidly becoming the place-to-move-to for the Second City’s creatives, thanks to cheaper rent and some serious suburban tenacity.
“The Underbanks, a cobbled high street once home to hat-makers and hosiers, has been transformed into a bustling hub of forward-thinking vendors, while various local institutions have embraced Euro-style cafe culture, midcentury decor, sustainable fine-dining, small plates snacking and chic drinking dens. All of which, actually, come to think of it, is very Berlin… “
High praise indeed, you can read the full list of the UK’s coolest neighbourhoods here.
Murder investigation launched and five people arrested after man dies in Salford
Emily Sergeant
A murder investigation has been launched after the death of a man in Salford this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that officers were called out to an address on Great Clowes Street in Salford at around 7:50pm on Tuesday evening (6 October), and when they arrived on the scene, a man in his 40s was found ‘unresponsive’.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services and all the medical professionals involved, the man sadly died a short time later.
The identity of the man has not been revealed as of yet.
Police have confirmed that five men, all aged between 24 and 35-years-old, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.
A public appeal for information has now been issued as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding this man’s death continues.
Detective Chief Inspector Ian Partington explained: “Our priority is to establish exactly what happened and we are keeping an open mind as we work to build a full picture of the events leading up to his death. A post-mortem is taking place to establish the cause of death, which will be an important part of our investigation.
“We understand that an incident of this nature will understandably cause concern within the local community but at this stage, we are confident that there isn’t any wider threat to the public.
“Officers will remain in the area while enquiries continue, and I would encourage anyone who has information, or who may have witnessed anything that could assist our investigation, to speak to officers or contact us.”
Can you help? Anyone with information should contact police on 101, use the LiveChat function on the GMP website, or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
24th January 2024 
