POLICE investigating a Bury based drugs gang caught its leader through detailed analysis of mobile phones, a court heard.

At Bolton Crown Court the prosecution allege that 24-year-old Nicholas Knowles was directing operations for the “Tommy” gang, selling to drugs users in Bury, Bolton and Salford between July 2013 and May 2015.

The jury heard that other alleged members of the gang, Cameron Johnson, Dylan Robinson, Nathan Dagnall and Noel Cowan have already pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Colin Buckle, prosecuting, told the court how the gang came to the attention of police, who named their investigation Operation Rhodonite. Johnson was said to be Knowles’ “lieutenant” while Robinson was also part of the gang supplying crack cocaine and heroin.

“We are going to provide a clear and unarguable link between Dylan Robinson and Nicholas Knowles at this time,” said Mr Buckle. He added that while the “Tommy” mobile phones used by drug dealers to receive calls from users regularly changed, cell site evidence obtained by police shows that the phones were in the same location at the same time as Knowles’ personal phones.

“There are repeated calls, repeated texts and communications between these phones and known drug addicts,” said Mr Buckle.

He added that one of the numbers was saved as “Tommy” in a phone belonging to Kelly Ramshaw, who was found in a car with Robinson, as did another phone used by Johnson. An advert offering drugs was even sent out as a text message using the name “Tommy”.

When interviewed by police Knowles, now of Ambleside Avenue, Ashton-under-Lyne, denied being the drug dealing “Tommy”, claiming instead that it was the name of his dog.

“The defence that Mr Knowles will present is that he had been involved in the buying and selling of counterfeit cash. That is not right,” said Mr Buckle.

Knowles denies conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.

The trial continues.