Men who hatched firearms revenge plot and drug deals jailed

(L-R): Brandon Moore, Jordan Waring and Umair Zaheer were among the seven men jailed

Seven men have been jailed after plans to hatch a revenge shooting plot and sell a "terrifying haul" of machine guns were uncovered.

Detectives found the stash of firearms, including an Uzi, in Greater Manchester and London.

They also found plans to target gunmen who ambushed two of the men in Salford in April 2020.

The offenders, from Manchester, Salford and Cheshire, were handed jail sentences of between six and 25 years.

The plots were uncovered alongside evidence of drug dealing after detectives infiltrated the secret crime communications network EncroChat, Manchester Crown Court heard.

The revenge plot was linked to the 3 April 2020 shooting of Brandon Moore and Jordan Waring, both 24, who survived the ambush in Salford, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The men immediately began planning with accomplice Umair Zaheer, 34, to target those responsible.

Zaheer, known as Assassin's Creed on EncroChat, sent a list of firearms, ammunition and other accessories for sale to Bilal Khan, 33, who was known as Legend Killer, the NCA said.

The firearms included an AK47 assault rifle and Skorpion and Uzi sub-machine guns.

The firearms had "a truly devastating capability", detectives said

The men were arrested after the NCA passed information to Greater Manchester Police.

Messages also showed how Robert Brazendale, 34, was a key player in a scheme running guns to other organised crime groups.

Brazendale was involved in delivering weapons after Khan brokered and forwarded sales details to an unknown EncroChat user, the NCA said.

He handed over the Uzi and Skorpion machine guns, a Taurus Brasil revolver and 300 rounds of ammunition to courier Hitesh Patel, 27, in exchange for £37,000.

Another man, Louis Coleman, was also found to have been involved in the plot and admitted to conspiring to supply drugs, the NCA said.

NCA operations manager Neil Gardner said: "The weapons we took off the street and out of the crime groups' hands were some of the most lethal around with a truly devastating capability.

"In seizing these weapons which are capable of firing multiple rounds per second, we have saved lives and protected the public."

The men were sentenced as follows:

• Zaheer, 34, of Eccles, admitted conspiring to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life and conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis and was sentenced to 25 years

• Moore, 24, of Salford, admitted conspiring to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life and was 11 years and five months

• Brazendale, 34, of Warrington, admitted conspiring to transfer prohibited firearms and was sentenced to 11 years and three months

• Khan, 33, of Didsbury, Manchester, admitted possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and was sentenced to 10 years and eight months

• Waring, 24, of Salford, admitted conspiring to possess firearms or ammunition with intent to endanger life and was sentenced to eight years and seven months

• Patel, 27, of Chester, admitted possession of firearms with intent to endanger life and was sentenced to seven years and five months

• Coleman, 23, of Salford, admitted conspiring to supply cocaine and ketamine and was sentenced to six years and nine months