He was a marijuana influencer on Instagram. She was a drug connoisseur with a nose for the best.
Together they ran the ‘Joint Café’ in Cheetham Hill, specialising in American ‘California marijuana’. Members who paid a fee were offered food, alcohol, entertainment and the drug itself.
Police raided the bar, which had nearly 1,800 paying members, and found about 70 people inside. Ben Gardner and Zoe Chrysanthou were jailed for their part in the “highly sophisticated” operation.
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They are among the many people who have been jailed this week in our region. They include a “monster” who sexually assaulted three young girls and a man who unknowingly sold drugs to an undercover cop.
Prison sentences are imposed on the worst offenders. Manchester Evening News Journalists are on site to cover the most serious cases.
A cannabis “influencer” and his drug “savvy” partner were running a cafe that shamelessly sold “California marijuana” imported from the US, sourced from a “highly sophisticated” manufacturing unit in Cheetham Hill. Ben Gardner, 36, and his then partner Zoe Chrysanthou, 31, have both been jailed after the “commercial” operation was uncovered by police.
Manchester Crown Court heard that the unit had been turned into a “Joint Café”, where members paid £40 to enter. As well as consuming cannabis, members could enjoy a bar serving food and drink and entertainment including pool tables and games consoles.
Gardner, who was considered a cannabis “influencer,” helped promote the cafe on social media. Chrysanthou flew to California to arrange for the importation of California pot to be served at the venue.
When police arrived at the cafe, which had nearly 1,800 paying members, they found about 70 people inside, many of whom were trying to flee. A judge said the cafe was a “determined and flagrant breach” of drugs laws, “designed to generate thousands of pounds of profit”.
Lawyers for Gardner and Chrysanthou both asked for the couple to be spared jail time, citing the “devastating” effect it could have on their five-year-old child. But Judge Potter sentenced the couple to 31 months and 27 months in prison respectively.
Read the full story here.
(Image: GMP)A “monster” who sexually assaulted three girls was told by one of his victims: “I lost my childhood because of you”. Colin Ruscoe, 64, has been jailed for 10 years for a series of heinous crimes. A jury found him guilty after a trial at Manchester Crown Court.
He was convicted of six counts of inciting a child under 13 to engage in sexual activity; two counts of sexual assault on a child under 13; sexual activity with a child; and assault on a child under 13 by penetration.
Ruscoe, from Longsight, was told of the impact his crimes had on his victim as she bravely faced him in court. Two of the women read out statements in person.
“I lost my childhood because of you,” one said. “The consequences of what you did caused so much distress and pain. I wanted to end my life. My relationships have been affected and I no longer trust men. You were dishonest and a coward.”
The second woman said: “You caused me so much pain, anger, suffering, you made me hate myself and hurt myself to try to repress it. You are a monster. I was a child. My mental health suffered a lot and I had a hard time talking about it. I tried to end my life six times in six months. Today, because of you, I no longer trust men.”
Read the full story here.
(Image: Greater Manchester Police)A dealer involved in supplying drugs to an undercover police officer in Piccadilly Gardens has been banned from the city centre.
Demitrius Wright, 34, was with a group in central Manchester when he took a £20 note from the officer before handing it to an associate. Minutes later the pair had hidden in a corner and Wright returned with a “rock” of crack cocaine, Manchester Crown Court was told.
He also asked to use some of the drugs for himself.
The following day, the officer was walking near Piccadilly Gardens when he heard the other man he had seen with Wright shouting at him as he stood near the Crafty Pig pub on Oldham Street.
“The man waved at him and asked what he wanted, and the officer replied: ‘Two whites’ before handing him a £20 note,” prosecutor Harriet Lavin said, describing the second encounter.
“He then took out a clear plastic bag containing a large quantity of film and gave him two of them. This defendant appeared to be part of the negotiation between the undercover agent and the man.”
Read the full story here.
(Image: Manchester Evening News)
