Drugs gang jailed
Crime flooded streets of Lancashire with heroin and crack cocaine
A drugs gang, who flooded the streets of Blackburn with heroin and crack cocaine, have been jailed for a total 24 and a half years.
The four men and one woman appeared at Preston Crown Court after they were convicted of various drug supply offences.
They were targeted as part of Operation Selene, an investigation carried out by the Targeted Crime Team – a proactive policing department dedicated to disrupting organised crime groups in East Lancashire. The enquiry focused on the activities of the group, which was headed by 33-year-old Jemil Hussain.
Officers raided a number of addresses and seized cash, heroin, crack cocaine and mobile phones during the course of the investigation which culminated in May 2015. Enquiries revealed Hussain played a leading role arranging the supply of class a drugs, employing a number of street dealers to assist between January 2011 and September 2014.
Detailed analysis of mobile phones seized from the defendants showed a high level of contact between each other along with tens of thousands of incoming calls from known drug addicts lasting a matter of seconds. Text messages recovered from the phones showed the defendants to be advertising the sale of ‘good quality’ heroin and crack cocaine available any time of day and receiving text messages from customers requesting various drugs.
CCTV footage also revealed the defendants meeting with drug users on a number of occasions in Blackburn, Accrington and Oswaldtwistle.
DC James Williamson from the Targeted Crime Team said: “I am satisfied with the sentences handed down which reflect the serious nature of the offences.
“Operation Selene has been a complex and protracted enquiry which has required a lot of hard work and dedication from the investigation team.
“The people in this organised crime group were working together to flood the streets of East Lancashire with heroin and crack cocaine. This type of crime not only ruins lives and instils fear in our neighbourhoods, but is a driving force for other crime. Now that this group has been taken off our streets we can firmly say they are a much safer place, and hope this goes in some way to providing reassurance to the community.
“Lancashire Constabulary is committed to tackling organised crime groups and those involved - restricting their opportunities to thrive and undermine decent, law abiding citizens. I hope it acts as a warning to those who flout the law that their crime will not be tolerated in our communities.”
Anyone with information or concerns about drugs in their community can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
The sentences handed to each defendant received are as follows:
- Jemil Hussain, 33, of Country Mews, Blackburn, was jailed for 11 years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Adeel Mehboob, 24, of Queens Park Road, Blackburn, was jailed for seven years and two months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Arfan Ahmed, 26, of Ballater Road, Aboyne, was jailed for two and a half years after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine
- Bernard McEwen, 48, of Haslingden Road, Blackburn, was jailed for three years and two months after pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine
- Mobeen Saddique, 34, of Wilton Close, Blackburn, was given 19 months suspended for two years after she pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.