Five-year long £3.5m investigation into Britain's most notorious crime gang COLLAPSES amid claims police 'took brown envelope bribes from gangsters and gave them 15 minute warning before a raid'

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A £3.5million five-year probe into gangland money laundering collapsed this year amid claims of officers being offered 'brown envelopes' of cash and a mole's 15 minute warning before a raid, it was claimed today.

Greater Manchester Police officers have been accused of taking bungs from friends and business associates of Paul 'Mr Big' Massey who was shot dead in Salford in 2015. 

Mr Massey, who was machine-gunned down on his drive by a man in military fatigues, was under investigation over alleged money laundering, fraud and tax evasion.

Operation Holly was run over five years and focussed on 21st Security Ltd, which detectives believed 'shadow director' Massey and his gang used to launder proceeds of crime, a Times investigation has revealed. 

Since 2011 55 people were investigated and six people arrested - including Massey before his murder - and one of the people held allegedly admitted there had been laundering of money and officers also thought they had evidence of habitual fraud.

But in June this year the five remaining suspects were told they wouldn't be prosecuted after the CPS reviewed the file.

Greater Manchester Police officers have been accused of taking bungs from friends and business associates of Paul 'Mr Big' Massey who was shot dead in Salford in 2015.

Massey was one of six people arrested over alleged fraud and money laundering but the remaining five have been told they will face no further action amid claims of bungs to police

Prosecutors warned police that they needed to probe allegations of corruption before anyone could be charged because bungs would inevitably undermine the case.

The CPS is said to have been particularly worried about a phone call made to 21st Security just 15 minutes before a 2011 police raid and claims of missing files in the aftermath.

Paul 'Mr Big' Massey's death appears crucial to the case because it was feared it would allow living suspects to blame any criminal behaviour on him

'Brown envelopes' were handed to officers, it is alleged, with the warning that who received what would be revealed in court, according to The Times' Fiona Hamilton.

A CPS spokesman said: 'This advice covered, among other things, disclosure issues which hindered our ability to authorise charges, however, the CPS does not have the power to direct police forces to carry out investigations'. 

Police in Manchester are said to have feared moles in the city so even sought warrants 32 miles away at Preston Crown Court.

The force has said that an inquiry into allegations of corruption has been started since the CPS' decision in June. 

A spokesman said: 'Following a complex investigation into the activities of an organised crime group from Salford by Titan northwest regional organised crime unit, a comprehensive file was submitted to [the] CPS, who advised that there was no realistic prospect of a successful prosecution. 

'As a result, a decision was made that no further action would be taken in this case and all interested parties were notified. As with any major investigation where a decision is made to take no further action, a review will take place with the CPS to see if any lessons can be learnt.

'Following the decision not to prosecute, inquiries are also being carried out by [the force's] professional standards branch to ascertain if there are any conduct issues with officers.'

Paul 'Mr Big' Massey's death appears crucial to the case because it was feared it would allow living suspects to blame any criminal behaviour on him.

Massey was given the 'Mr Big' title by the late Salford councillor Joe Burrows at a town hall meeting to discuss civil disturbances in 1992 and was jailed for stabbing rival in the groin

How murder of Salford's 'Mr Big' sparked a turf war after decades of masterminding organised crime in Manchester

Paul Massey's hit caused major tensions in the city and abroad and in the aftermath a seven-year-old boy and his mother were shot in the legs in a shooting reportedly ordered by a gang called The A Team. 

During his criminal career he was pictured in various crime books and mixed with a string of celebrities including movie actor Dougray Scott, former Coronation Street favourite Bruce Jones and reality TV star Paddy Doherty.

After running protection rackets in Salford, and building an estimated £5m fortune through property sales, he was named in 1992 by a social services boss as the mastermind behind organised crime in the city and was even placed under surveillance by MI5.

Despite his reputation, rumours have circulated for years that Mr Massey was a police informant.

Paul Massey's murder came after decades of running organised crime in Manchester

Stories from former gang members - which cannot be verified - suggest there have been occasions were firearms deals with Mr Massey fell through when rivals arrived to make the deal, only to find armed police waiting for them instead of Mr Big himself.

Others suggest senior officers within Greater Manchester Police were willing to help - or turn a blind eye - to Mr Massey in exchange for information on competing gangs.

One source told the Observer: 'I don't think there was money involved. He was just passing on bodies – information.

A cannabis leaf and a packet of Rizla papers is how the North Wales friends of Paul Massey remembered him in a floral tribute sent to his funeral 

'In turn the police helped him, backed him up. He didn't speak to the local officers; he spoke to the serious end. Sometimes if you crossed him, next thing you'd know is that your front door was being kicked in by the police.'

Mr Massey continually denied the claims that he was asked to intervene after a spate of violence in Salford.

The nature of his death - being shot in broad daylight by a man in military fatigues - as well as no arrests being made following it, has also raised questions.  

Pub landlords and shopkeepers had to each pay on average £400 a week protection money to stop them being put out of business.

Massey described himself as a security consultant and laundered much of his money gained from property and rackets in a legitimate security firm.

In a bid to drive away drug dealers, Massey plastered stickers on lamp-posts warning: 'Anyone dealing smack will get smacked.'

In 1996 Massey was charged over a riot at a Nigel Benn world championship boxing match but was cleared following a trial.

He subsequently survived an attempt on his life by a hitman armed with a machine gun and issued a public warning: 'I pity the b*****d who did it. The only reason that's kept me alive today is because the person who fires that shot knows that they've got to fly the flag and handle the pressure - and they are not going to be able to handle it.'

Massey was given the 'Mr Big' title by the late Salford councillor Joe Burrows at a town hall meeting to discuss civil disturbances in 1992.

He vehemently denied having anything to do with the unrest.

Massey was jailed for 14 years in 1999 after he stabbed a man in the groin, leaving him for dead.

He once bragged that his enemies would not dare to kill him because of the fear of revenge attacks by his friends.

But he later said he had rejected his former life of crime and wanted to help stop gang warfare in the Salford and Manchester area.

In 2012, he fought a losing campaign to become the elected mayor of Salford - saying he would encourage stability in the home, improve rehabilitation programmes for the young and rid the streets of drugs.

As he launched his campaign, he called on voters to forget his 'Mr Big' reputation. His tactic failed as he polled seventh out of 10 candidates with 1,995 votes.

Speaking to the Observer, sources in Salford's criminal underworld suggested the city's 5ft-tall Mr Big was not as imposing a character as is often suggested.

On condition of anonymity, one said: 'He fed on the weak, he was like a Fagin type. We called him a paper gangster because he never got his hands dirty.'

Others said he achieved his notoriety by exploiting teenagers before they were old enough to know better.

While the teenagers 'couldn't punch their way out of a paper bag', they would soon return with a gun if crossed.