BBC News, Manchester
Greater ManchesterA professional martial arts fighter who once described himself as Manchester’s response to Rocky Balboa has been imprisoned for treating drugs and selling weapons.
Pietro Menga, who also calls himself the Italian stallion, was caught when the National Crime Agency (NCA) infiltrated a messaging service once encrypted.
The NCA said that Menga, 37, boasted in concurrence conversations that she had automatic skorpion machine guns that “they were always good for a rainy day.”
Menga, or Salford, was sentenced to 15 years and five months when he appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday.
Menga, or Mount Street, Swinton, admitted the conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and cocaine negotiation.
Specialized detectives dragged thousands of anonymous messy messages that detailed drug agreements, firearms sales and murder attempts, said the NCA.
After identifying Menga through messages in which he talked openly about the bride, knee injuries for fighting and his gym at home, the detectives knew that Menga was the man behind the mango “Wirelesshark”.
‘Path of evidence’
A drug expert estimated that Menga was involved in drugs with a value in the street between £ 490,000 and £ 620,000.
He was arrested when his house was raided on January 15, 2024.
The NCA said: “Menga, like many criminals before him, thought he was hiding behind a safe communications system.
“Instead, he created his own trace of evidence that has led them directly to jail.”
In December 2017, Menga told the BBC three of his ambitions to raise the UFC (Ultimate Fight Club) ranking as a fly weight.
He had just received a warning of his debut in the UFC fight.
“For me, this is a rocky story of Manchester,” he said. “A Manchester boy fights with a 12 -day warning.”
The Rocky Movie franchise presents a story of rags to the wealth of the fictional boxer Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone.
