Members of an organised drug gang sentenced in Gloucester
A group of 11 people have been sentenced to over 50 years collectively for their involvement in a major drugs ring.
Last updated 17th May 2024
The gang operated in Cheltenham, between December 2021 and November 2022, supplying Class A drugs to users in the area.
Their leader Uwais Hassanjee, 34, was well known to Gloucestershire police and had twice been convicted of Class A drug supply.
At this time he had left the area and began living in different areas of the UK, first in Lancashire and later in Leicestershire. From here he would source bulk quantities of drugs which he would either take to Gloucestershire himself or employ members to transport and supply them on his behalf.
Hassanjee had a nickname of “POLO” which he used to his advantage in the drugs trade – creating a brand by which his customers could recognise him.
Unusually, Hassanjee would book high end respectable flats or apartments in and around Cheltenham for his dealers to work from via legitimate booking websites.
Police say there is evidence to suggest approximately £7,000 was being made a day from dealing Class A drugs. And over 3 kilos of Class A drugs were recovered during the course of the operation. Whilst telephone records show the gang had around 300 customers.
The group have been given the following sentences at Gloucester Crown Court for two counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug:
• Uwais Hassanjee, 34, Woodlea Road, Blackburn- jailed for 10 years and seven months
• Kazi Ahmed, 23, Roslyn Street, Leicester- jailed for eight years and three months
• Jamil Ahmed, 23, Ashover Road, Leicester- jailed for six years and 10 months
• Sameer Khan, 21, Earl Howe Street, Leicester -jailed for six years and 10 months
• Bradley McPhee, 24, Tythe Barn Street, Darwen, Lancashire - jailed for seven years
• Daniel Darby, 30, Tythe Barn Street, Darwen, Lancashire- jailed for five years and four months plus nine months concurrent for perverting the course of justice
• Lukas Januf, 28, Cromer Street, Leicester- jailed for five years and two months
• Leevi Greeve, 24, Greenside Avenue, Blackburn - jailed for four years and six months (He was also given a concurrent sentence for a Class A drugs supply offence and received a 54 month disqualification for dangerous driving that Lancashire Police investigated)
• Emily Barbosa, 19, Christchurch Road, Bournemouth- two years suspended sentence, 250 hours of unpaid work and a £156 surcharge fee
• Ciaran Winser, 21, Auxilliun Court, Islington, Blackburn- two years suspended sentence, 250 hours of unpaid work, a £156 surcharge fee and £50 fine
• Hassan Ahmed, 21, Ireton Road, Leicester- 20 months suspended for two years,150 hours of unpaid work and a £156 surcharge fee
Detective Inspector Matt Phillips, said: "It's an investigate which took six months in total and during that whole operation we recovered over 3 kilograms of Class A drugs. And we were really able to show what a level Mr Hassanjee operated at.
"I think this operation shows how serious we take it. We hope the sentences show the real dangers of dealing drugs in Gloucestershire and those who are caught will face a long time in prison. Hopefully these people can be rehabilitated by the time they re-emerge back into the community.
"Although they tried to make light of what they were doing it is a miserable business. They are selling drugs to the very vulnerable part of our community so it is very satisfactory to stop that and prevent it from happening any further."