A man has been sentenced to 11 years behind bars for drug offences – but it’s his mugshot that’s really got people talking.
Callum Buckley, 33, was found guilty of storing 72g of cannabis, six vacuum sealed packages of amphetamine and 18g of cocaine with a 78% purity, inside a container in Manchester.
Officers also found during their investigation that he was the man behind the EncroChat handle ‘Peptalk’, which he used to arrange his supply chain of Class A and Class B drugs.
But since GMP shared his mugshot on social media, people have been quick to point out a certain feature – his teeth.
Buckley has a pair of blinding pearly whites, which he’s proudly showing off in his mugshot.
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Several people have compared them to those tooth-shaped jelly sweets or Wallace (of Wallace and Gromit fame), with one person asking if he’d ‘got high off his own supply’.
Dozens of people have also pointed out his uncanny likeness to YouTuber MrBeast, with someone writing: “Honestly thought Mr Beast let himself go then.”
Buckley was involved in organised crime that involved the supply of Class As to associates as far as Luton.
He would refer to himself as ‘Cal’ while sending and receiving photos of blocks of cocaine, which he was buying each week for £42,000.
He also discussed the sale of heroin and cannabis valued at £11,000 and £5,000 respectively.
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At one stage, he told an associate of a shipment of drugs into Ireland worth an approximate £200,000.
Officers found designer clothing, footwear and a gold Rolex Yacht Master watch, with a total value of £53,000 during a raid at his property.
He was arrested on Thursday 15 September 2022 and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and cannabis, possession with intent to supply cocaine, amphetamine and cannabis and money laundering.
He has now been sentenced to 11 years in prison at Manchester City Crown Court.
Detective Constable Chris Anders, of GMP’s City of Manchester Challenger North team, said: “Buckley was using the EncroChat device to converse with other criminals under the guise of the handle ‘Peptalk’ and alike other criminals before him, he believed that his criminality was protected by the encrypted device.
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“We could see from the messages that Buckley had criminal contacts from as far as Luton, Bedfordshire in order to supply significant amounts of heroin and cocaine that was on a national scale, and that he had a direct influence upon the supply of these drugs into Ireland.
“He sent messages that he was travelling once a week to buy blocks of cocaine worth £42,000, at a time when the country was in a national lockdown due to Coronavirus and families couldn’t see their loved ones.
“The disruption of the EncroChat device enabled us to see first-hand the scale of Buckley’s criminality, which he was reaping the rewards of. Today’s sentencing is a clear reminder to criminals that they cannot hide behind these devices forever and that they will be prosecuted and sent to prison for a substantial amount of time.”
If you are concerned about criminal activity within your area, you can report this to us directly on 101 or by reporting information using our online report tool at www.gmp.police.uk.
You can also report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.
Full list of road closures set to be in place for Manchester Day 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Day is back for 2024 this weekend, and the full list of road closures set to be in place has been confirmed.
Now that schools are officially out across Greater Manchester, and the summer holidays are well and truly here, the hugely-popular Manchester Day is making a return once again this Saturday 27 July, and as always, it’s set to be “the day summer officially starts” in the city centre – with a massive celebration of “all things Mancunian” on the cards.
The theme of this year’s annual event is ‘Let The Games Begin’, and it’s inspired by the international summer of sport, just 2024 Olympics kicks off over in Paris.
The day will be packed full of free events and activities to get involved with.
Some city centre roads will be closed on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July for Manchester Day.
These will include:
🛣️Deansgate 🛣️St Ann Street 🛣️St Mary’s Gate 🛣️Market Street 🛣️King Street
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) July 21, 2024
But of course, in order for the all the fun to go ahead as safely as possible, and as tends to be the case for events like these, Manchester City Council says it will need to make some temporary road closures to facilitate it.
The full list of road closures has now been confirmed by the Council, and there’s some major city centre thoroughfares set to be out of action.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Manchester Day is back for 2024 to celebrate the international summer of sport / Credit: Manchester City Council
Manchester Day 2024 – Road Closures
Saturday 27 July
From 6am to 11:59pm, Manchester City Council has confirmed that the following roads will be closed:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street) – access will be maintained to Marks and Spencer’s car park and Number One Deansgate.
St Ann Street (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street (Cross Street to Deansgate) – no access for deliveries.
All accessible bays, bus lanes, and taxi ranks within the closed areas will also be suspended during from 6pm on Friday 26 July to 11:59pm on Saturday 27 July.
The parking suspensions set to be in place are:
Deansgate (Manchester Cathedral to John Dalton Street)
St Ann Street – including the bays outside St Ann’s Church (Deansgate to Cross Street)
St Mary’s Gate (Exchange Street to Deansgate)
St Mary’s Street (Southbridge Street to Deansgate)
Southgate (St Mary’s Street to King Street West)
Market Street (Exchange Street to Cross Street)
Fennel Street (Corporation Street to Cathedral Street) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cathedral Street (Fennel Street to Exchange Square) – access will be maintained for morning deliveries only.
Cateaton Street (Exchange Square to Deansgate)
Victoria Street (Cathedral Approach to Deansgate)
Todd Street (Corporation Street to Station Approach)
King Street (Spring Gardens to Southgate)
South King Street (Ridgefield to Deansgate)
Barton Square (St Ann’s Square to St Ann Street)
King Street West (Deansgate to St Mary’s Parsonage)
St James’s Square (John Dalton Street to South King Street)
Cross Street (King Street to Corporation Street)
Museum Street (Peter Street to Windmill Street)
Marsden Street (Cheapside to Brown Street)
Manchester Day 2024: Let The Games Begin! will take over the city centre on Saturday 27 July from 12pm-6pm.
Check out everything you need to know ahead of the event here.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete
Emily Sergeant
Work currently underway on the Rochdale via Oldham line is expected to take several weeks to complete.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has confirmed that land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has now “slowed”, and this means that detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works have been able to get underway.
In order for trams to run again on the crucial line from the city centre to the two major Greater Manchester towns, TfGM says that a small section of track has to be moved back – also known as ‘slewed’ – into its original position.
The overhead line poles also need to be repaired too, the transport operator revealed.
Rochdale line update
Land movement affecting the Metrolink network near Derker has slowed, enabling detailed ground investigations and temporary repair works to get underway.
To get trams running again, a small section of track has to be moved back into its original position… pic.twitter.com/byERjitdi1
Unfortunately though, due to the “complex” nature of these works, and despite the fact that TfGM says it’s actively looking to “accelerate” the repairs, the project is expected to take up to five weeks to complete in full.
On top of this, the detailed ground investigations will also establish whether any further work to strengthen foundations beneath the track will be needed at a later date.
TfGM has apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
‘Complex’ Metrolink repairs to the Rochdale via Oldham line could take weeks to complete / Credit: TfGM
Speaking on the scale of works currently underway, and how long he expects them to continue for, Pete Sommers, who is TfGM’s Network Director for Metrolink, said: “I’m sorry for the impact this is having, and will continue to have, on people’s journeys.
“We are working to get trams running through the area again, but this remains a complex and challenging issue and it could still be a few weeks before this happens.
“We will of course keep passengers updated, and I’d encourage people to check our social media channels and website for the latest information and advice.”