Lewis Hanson Jailed After Armed Police Operation in Bury 2026

key Points

• Lewis Hanson, 20, was jailed for six years and 10 months at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday, 27 August 2026.
• Hanson, who was described as having no fixed address, pleaded guilty to drug-supply and firearms offences.
• Armed Greater Manchester Police officers shot Hanson in the arm during an operation on Bury New Road, Whitefield, on 22 May 2026.
• Police had been monitoring Hanson’s movements around Radcliffe, Whitefield and Greenmount before trying to stop his white Cupra Ateca.
• Officers recovered a converted Retay Model 17 blank-firing pistol, ammunition, Class A and Class B drugs, scales and packaging from an address linked to Hanson in Chapelfield, Radcliffe.
• Manchester Crown Court heard phone evidence that Hanson had been involved in cannabis supply from 2020, when he was 14, until his arrest.
• Paul Houghton admitted allowing his premises to be used for drug supply and was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct opened an investigation into the police firearms operation.

Bury Police (Manchester Mirror) August 27, 2026 — uk/local/bury/">Bury drug dealer jailed Lewis Hanson has been sentenced to six years and 10 months after an armed police operation ended with him being shot in the arm and officers recovering drugs, ammunition and a converted firearm linked to him.

Hanson, 20, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to possessing Class A and Class B drugs with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug, possessing a prohibited firearm, possessing ammunition without a firearm certificate, and conspiring to sell a prohibited weapon.

According to Nathan Marsh of Hits Radio, Hanson was described as having no fixed address when he was sentenced on Thursday. The sentence followed an investigation by Greater Manchester Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Group into suspected drug supply activity across Bury and neighbouring areas.

How did the police operation in Whitefield unfold?

The operation took place on Friday, 22 May 2026, after officers monitored Hanson’s movements during the day.

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, prosecutor Caleb Suggitt told Manchester Crown Court that police officers had carried out surveillance on Hanson as he drove through Radcliffe, Whitefield and Greenmount in a white Cupra Ateca.

The court heard that Hanson made repeated visits to an address in Chapelfield, Radcliffe. The prosecution said police believed the visits and interactions at the address were consistent with drug-supply activity.

According to the Manchester Evening News, Hanson visited flats in Chapelfield, including one belonging to Paul Houghton. The court heard that the flat was used to store cocaine and cannabis before drugs were supplied at street level.

At around 3pm, armed officers attempted to stop Hanson’s vehicle at the junction of Bury New Road and Chestnut Avenue in Whitefield.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Mr Suggitt told the court an armed police officer “felt compelled to discharge his firearm” during Hanson’s detention. Hanson was struck in the elbow by the shot and was later taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Nathan Marsh of Hits Radio reported that Hanson had attempted to get away as officers tried to stop him. One police shot struck him in the arm before he was detained shortly afterwards.

His injury was not assessed as life-threatening or life-changing.

What did the police watchdog say about the shooting?

The police use of firearms during Hanson’s arrest was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, known as the IOPC.

The IOPC began an independent investigation into the incident on the day it occurred. According to a statement reported by the Manchester Evening News, the watchdog confirmed that one Greater Manchester Police officer discharged a single shot which caused Hanson’s injury.

The IOPC also said a second officer discharged one shot to deflate a tyre on Hanson’s vehicle.

The watchdog stated that Greater Manchester Police referred the incident shortly after it happened. The IOPC declared an independent investigation at 6.57pm on 22 May.

Investigators attended the scene, secured two police firearms for examination and reviewed body-worn video footage from officers involved in the operation.

The available reports did not state the outcome of the IOPC investigation. The investigation into police actions is separate from Hanson’s criminal convictions and sentence.

What did officers recover during the searches?

Following Hanson’s arrest, officers searched his car and properties linked to the investigation.

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, police recovered drugs valued at £3,520 and a firearm during searches connected with the case.

The weapon was identified as a Retay 17 blank-firing pistol. The court heard that it had been manufactured in Turkey and designed to resemble a Glock 17 handgun.

The weapon had been converted so that it could fire live ammunition, although the court heard it could not self-load. Because of its conversion, it was treated as a prohibited firearm.

Nathan Marsh of Hits Radio reported that the weapon was a converted Retay Model 17 blank-firing pistol and that ammunition was also found at the Chapelfield property in Radcliffe.

The ammunition was found in a black bin bag hidden inside a wardrobe in a bedroom, according to the report.

Police also recovered Class A and Class B drugs, weighing scales, vacuum-packed bags and empty snap bags. The items were treated as evidence relevant to the preparation and supply of controlled drugs.

The Manchester Evening News reported that officers also searched an address where Hanson had been living with his mother. During that search, police found two black face coverings, an anti-spy radio detector, a lock knife and designer clothing.

The court heard that one Gucci sweatshirt still had a £1,150 price tag attached. Officers also found receipts linked to purchases of designer clothing worth more than £1,000.

What did Manchester Crown Court hear about drug dealing?

The prosecution relied on material retrieved from Hanson’s mobile phone.

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Mr Suggitt told Manchester Crown Court that phone evidence indicated Hanson had sold cannabis in every year from 2020 through to his arrest in 2026.

The court heard that Hanson was 14 when the offending began in 2020. The prosecution said activity associated with cannabis supply appeared across 29 separate months.

Messages recovered from the device reportedly showed Hanson discussing sums of money running into thousands of pounds.

The Manchester Evening News also reported that voice notes recovered from the days before Hanson’s arrest showed him attempting to sell the firearm later found during the searches.

The prosecution case was that Hanson had been involved in both drug supply and an attempt to sell the converted firearm.

Who is Paul Houghton and what sentence did he receive?

Paul Houghton, 40, was sentenced in connection with the use of his property in Chapelfield, Radcliffe.

The Manchester Evening News reported that Houghton, of Roch Crescent, Whitefield, admitted permitting his premises to be used for the supply of Class A and Class B drugs.

He was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

Houghton was also ordered to complete a three-month alcohol treatment programme. In addition, he was ordered to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and five rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Defence counsel Dan Gaskell told the court that Houghton worked full-time as a roofer. Mr Gaskell said Houghton had been offered the prospect of free cocaine through his involvement in the offending.

What did Hanson’s defence say in court?

Hanson’s barrister, Mark Friend, addressed the court during sentencing.

As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Mr Friend said Hanson had questioned whether police needed to shoot him during his arrest in Whitefield.

Mr Friend said Hanson’s guilty pleas demonstrated remorse and contrition. He said Hanson accepted that there would be consequences for the offences.

The defence also told the court that Hanson had become involved in drug dealing after becoming a drug user.

Mr Friend said another person was involved in the planned sale of the converted firearm. He argued that Hanson was not at the highest level of the drug-supply chain.

The court also heard that Hanson had not received physiotherapy which he had been told he required following the elbow injury he sustained during the police operation.

What did Greater Manchester Police say after the sentence?

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop, of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Crime Division, commented after Hanson was sentenced.

As reported by Nathan Marsh of Hits Radio, Det Supt Harrop said Hanson had played a key role in the supply of illegal drugs across Bury and beyond.

Det Supt Harrop said:

“Hanson played a key role in the supply of illegal drugs throughout Bury and beyond, our investigation uncovered evidence of drug dealing and with the recovery of a prohibited firearm at an address linked to him.”

He said the recovery of ammunition and drug-supply equipment was significant within the investigation.

Det Supt Harrop added that the converted firearm demonstrated the dangerous circumstances that can be connected to organised criminal activity.

He said drug dealing and firearms could contribute to exploitation, violence and fear in communities.

Greater Manchester Police said it would continue to pursue people involved in drug supply, illegal firearms possession and organised criminal activity.

What is the background to the Bury drug dealer case?

The Bury drug dealer case began with a Greater Manchester Police operation targeting suspected drug supply activity in Bury during May 2026.

Police surveillance led officers to monitor Hanson’s movements through Radcliffe, Whitefield and Greenmount. The subsequent firearms operation in Whitefield resulted in Hanson’s arrest and searches of addresses linked to the investigation.

The searches uncovered controlled drugs, drug-supply equipment, ammunition and a converted blank-firing gun.

The case also drew attention because Hanson was injured when an armed officer fired a shot during the arrest. The IOPC’s independent inquiry concerns the circumstances surrounding the police firearms use and is distinct from the prosecution that resulted in Hanson’s imprisonment.

Hanson’s sentencing resolves the criminal proceedings reported in connection with the drugs, ammunition and prohibited firearm offences. However, the separate watchdog inquiry remains relevant to the police operation itself.

How could the sentencing affect Bury and Whitefield residents?

For people living in Bury, Whitefield and Radcliffe, the sentencing means Hanson will serve a substantial custodial sentence for offences involving controlled drugs, ammunition and a prohibited firearm.

The case highlights continued policing attention on suspected drug supply networks and the use of firearms in Greater Manchester. Greater Manchester Police may use the outcome as part of its ongoing operations against organised crime and the illegal drugs trade.

The IOPC investigation may also remain important for local residents because it concerns the circumstances in which armed officers discharged firearms during the operation.

Any future findings by the watchdog could provide more detail about the police response, evidence handling and firearms decision-making in this case. No conclusion from that investigation had been reported at the time of Hanson’s sentencing.