Flash cocaine boss with a Mercedes and a Rolex bragged he'd be a 'millionaire' in a few years... now he'll be living off a pittance in prison

A flash cocaine boss who bragged that he'd be a 'millionaire' in a few years is now beginning a 16 year jail sentence. Daniel Buckley, 35, thought he was untouchable as he made staggering amounts of money through large scale drug dealing.

During a six month period, his organised crime gang sold more than 80 kilos of cocaine worth around £3.3m, a court heard. They were also involved in trafficking amphetamine.

Buckley, from Newton Heath, even bought a gun and ammunition in a bid to protect himself from other gangs, all the while enjoying a ‘lavish lifestyle’ funded by crime. He enjoyed expensive holidays, bought designer trainers made by high-end brands including Balenciaga and Dolce and Gabbana, had a £10,000 Rolex watch, and a £55,000 Mercedes on his drive.

Try MEN Premium now with our amazing New Year offer... just click here to give it a go.

"Buckley bragged in messages that he would be a millionaire in just a few years, and that he wanted a villa in Spain and to be a resident in Dubai,” prosecutors said at Manchester Crown Court. "He suggested Dubai as they didn't have any money laundering rules there."

But Buckley’s world came crashing down after European law enforcement infiltrated the encrypted communications system on which he conducted his underworld affairs. The cracking of the EncroChat system provided police with an unparalleled window into the world of organised crime across Europe.

Greater Manchester Police was handed information gathered by the hack and used it to arrest Buckley, as well as his ‘trusted’ second in command, 36-year-old Mark Bowles. A third man, Michael Mooney, 36, who had a cash safe stored at his home in return for £100 a week and free cocaine from the pair, was also held.

The trio