Two members of a notorious Manchester gang who were released early from jail have been sent back after a police operation against gun crime.

Colin Joyce, 28, and Lee Amos, 31, have been told that they must complete their nine-year sentences. Police said the operation showed that there were no “untouchables” in the criminal world. The men were jailed in 2001 for firearm offences, but Amos was released on licence last year and Joyce was freed in March.

Both are leading members of the Gooch Close gang, which has been linked to gun crime in south Manchester for more than a decade. Allegations have been made against gang members concerning the murder of Jessie James, 15, who was shot in September.

Manchester, particularly Hulme, Moss Side and Longsight, has been blighted by gun crime. In five years 27 people have died and 250 have been wounded in gangland shootings. Joyce was arrested on August 12 in Walkden, near Bolton, and Amos was arrested at the weekend in Nottingham in an operation codenamed Silverstone, conducted alongside other initiatives that involved a significant increase of officers in areas affected by gun crime. Three other people were arrested in connection with gun crime, and firearms were recovered.

Chief Superintendent Dave Keller, divisional commander for the Manchester Metropolitan division, said: “We made a promise to the people of Manchester that we would relentlessly pursue those responsible for gun crime and these arrests represent a major step forward.

“Following a review of intelligence, we understood \ may have been in some way connected to the recent increase in firearms discharges. We are sure the fact that Amos and Joyce are now off the streets will be of benefit to everyone in Greater Manchester.”

Mr Keller added that police did not consider anywhere to be a no-go zone.

Amos and Joyce were originally arrested along with other suspects in April 2000. Police had received a tip-off that the gang was planning a kidnapping for ransom and, during a raid on a house, they found an array of firearms. Body armour, night-vision binoculars, bandanas and clothes that were adapted to carry guns were also seized.

When the two were sentenced, Judge Michael Henshell said that the weapons found in their possession were “more appropriate for the battlefield than the street”. After their release the men were placed under heavy surveillance. Both were arrested for breaching the terms of their parole or for ignoring a curfew.

Times Recommends

• The real-life adventures of Tintin the spy
• Our universities face a radical upheaval
• Doctor Who