Salford men jailed over crack cocaine haul

St Pierre and Leishman were caught red-handed at the Salford flat.

Two men have been jailed after police found the UK's largest haul of crack cocaine in a flat in Salford.

Carl St Pierre, 32 and Robert Leishman, 30, were arrested during a raid in June 2009 when police discovered them next to 9kg of the drug.

They pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court to possessing and supplying the drugs.

Leishman was jailed for 13 years and St Pierre was jailed for 11 years at Manchester Crown Court.

Greater Manchester Police said that Leishman, of no fixed abode, had been caught red-handed next to a table laden with crack cocaine at the flat on Brattice Drive.

St Pierre, of Staplehurst Road, Newton Heath, was arrested in the hallway next to a bedroom where about 9kg of the drug was found.

Pc Marc Walby said: "St Pierre and Leishman were caught red-handed preparing these drugs to peddle in the area, causing untold misery to the community and encouraging further criminality as addicts turn to burglary and robbery to pay for their habit.

"Huge amounts of drugs have been removed from circulation and the two men responsible for them are facing a long time behind bars."