An MMA fighter often called the “Italian Stallion” has been jailed for 15 years and 5 months for medication and firearms offences.
Pietro Menga had a day job as an MMA fighter, even signing for UFC, however Better Manchester Police (GMP) stated he additionally had a “profitable job as a intermediary for an organised crime group”.
The power stated Menga was concerned in sourcing “giant portions of cocaine”.
On Tuesday, the previous fighter was jailed after he pleaded responsible to conspiracy to promote or switch prohibited weapons and conspiracy to produce cocaine.
GMP officers grew to become conscious of Menga after the Nationwide Crime Company infiltrated the as soon as encrypted messaging platform EncroChat.
The 37-year-old was recognized by way of messages the place he brazenly mentioned his girlfriend, his knee accidents from combating and his house gymnasium.
Underneath the username “wirelessshark”, Menga additionally brazenly spoke about shopping for and promoting medication and weapons.
He was concerned in an estimated sale of medicine value between £490,000 to £620,000, police stated.
‘All the time good for a wet day’
In a single message, Menga refers to a Skorpion computerized machine gun as a “tastey [sic] little bit of package”, including the weapon was “all the time good for a wet day”.
Officers found a number of related conversations of this nature, with Menga making an attempt to supply weapons for others.
Menga was arrested on 15 January 2024.
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EncroChat crackdown
Menga’s arrest comes as a part of GMP’s response to the nationwide takedown of EncroChat.
It got here underneath Operation Foam, which has seen greater than 300 arrests, with extra potential.
GMP stated it had arrested “kingpins”, in addition to “middle-tier criminals”.
Detective Constable Shiels from GMP’s Severe Organised Crime Group stated: “The extent that Menga operated at confirmed he clearly had a longtime record of felony contacts, one which can have been constructed over a number of years underneath the radar, facilitated by way of EncroChat.”
