Men jailed for over 25 years as Burnley Class A drugs line is closed

An organised criminal gang (OCG) who conspired to flood the streets and nightclubs of Burnley with Class A drugs have been jailed for over quarter of a century following our investigation.

The group, which ran the Tiger and AP drug dealing lines, also set fire to a car belonging to a rival drug dealer in a bid to secure their turf.

The drug lines have now been dismantled as part of Operation Warrior

The Tiger Line, which was used to sell crack cocaine and heroin, was headed up by defendant Hassan Raza.

He would supply his second in command, Moynul Islam, with wholesale quantities of the drugs which Islam would store at his home or other properties controlled by the OCG.

When the street dealers ran low, Raza would task Islam to contact defendants Ryan Ahmed and Shahria Islam to weigh and bag up drugs and ensure defendants Rayyan Ahmed, Camran Khan, Tanvier Khalique, Shahid Khan and Zane Sarriodonia had their supplies re-stocked.

Raza has physical control of the Tiger Line for much of the conspiracy and would send mass texts out to customers advertising heroin and crack cocaine for sale. Orders would then be placed and whoever was in control of the handset at that time, which was sometimes defendant Tayyib Haider, would direct the street dealers where to go.

Experts found that The Tiger Line received 5,490 incoming calls and 1,443 text messages over a period of 40 days.

The AP line was the cocaine side of the business. Rayyan Ahmed and Camran Khan were prominent figures in this side of the OCG’s illegal activities, and were assisted by Moynul Islam, Shahria Khan, Tanvier Khalique and Zane Sarrionandia in selling cocaine in nightclubs in Burnley town centre.

When the defendants were arrested we found Class A drugs, cash, mobile phones and weapons.

The drugs conspiracy spanned between July 2021 and January 2022.

On October 30, 2021, Raza and Moynul Islam concocted a plan to set fire to a rival dealer’s vehicle on Amersham Grove, Burnley, and organised for Camran Khan to commit the arson. Within half an hour of the conversation the Nissan X-Trail was set a light, causing significant damage to it and a Volkswagen parked next to it.

The nine defendants pleaded guilty to their various roles in the conspiracy and were sentenced to the following at Preston Crown Court today:

Moynul Islam, 26/01/1999, of March Street, Burnley Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin , cocaine and crack cocaine, and conspiracy to commit arson. Jailed for eight years and nine months.

Hassan Raza, 21/09/2001, of no fixed abode. Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine, and conspiracy to commit arson. Jailed for six years and eight months.

Shahria Islam, 11/11/2003, of Devonshire Road, Burnley Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin , cocaine and crack cocaine. Jailed for four years.

Camran Khan, 04/04/2004, of High Street, Keighley. Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin , cocaine and crack cocaine, and conspiracy to commit arson. Jailed for three years and six months.

Rayyan Ahmed, 19/02/2004, of Williams Road, Burnley. Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Jailed for three years.

Tayyib Haider, 17/01/2002, of Quakers Rise, Brierfield. Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Two year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Zane Sarrionandia, 21/06/2003, of Charles Street, Nelson. Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine. Eighteen-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

Tanvier Khalique, 06/11/2002, of Belford Street, Burnley Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin , cocaine and crack cocaine. Two-year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

Shahid Khan, 16/01/2003, of Colne Road, Burnley. Convicted of conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine. Two-year prison sentence, suspended for 18 months.

As part of our enquiries we stopped a car in Burleigh Street, Burnley, and found the Moynul Islam and Shahria Islam inside, along with defendant Nasir Uddin.

Uddin was found with £1010 in cash in his sock, drugs and a mobile phone. A further quantity of cash was found under his bed. He was arrested and later charged.

Nasir Uddin, 20/09/2002, of Burns Street, Burnley. Convicted of possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine and possession of criminal property. Eighteen-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months.

DS Stu Peall, from the East Exploitation Team, said:

“Each member of this gang thought they could profit, to varying degrees, from flooding the streets of Burnley with Class A drugs. Thanks to the dedicated work and patience of our officers we managed to identify the illegal activities of this OCG, dismantle their drugs network and put the offenders before the courts.

“I welcome the sentences handed down to the defendants, which reflects the seriousness of their offending and their various roles within the conspiracy. I hope these convictions send out a clear message that Lancashire Police will not tolerate the actions of those who seek to profit from on the backs some of the most vulnerable members of our communities and bring disorder to our streets.”

OpWarrior is our response to tackling serious and organised crime in Lancashire and delivering on Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden's Fighting Crime Plan priority of disrupting and dismantling organised crime.

Mr Snowden said:

"It's important that we send a clear message to criminals that police are coming to get you, and this is another great example of the work officers do, every single day, to disrupt and dismantle organised crime gangs and put them behind bars.

"It's what Op Warrior is all about, taking the fight to criminals that blight our communities, delivering on my Fighting Crime Plan and seeing even more arrests, more asset seizures and more drugs off our streets. Results like this, which will directly make Lancashire safer, is what the public want to see and delivers on a top priority in my Fighting Crime Plan.

"I would encourage anyone to report suspicious activity, or any information that might help in bringing criminals to justice. We continue to go after more and make sure those involved in organised crime feel the full force of the law and have their day in court.”

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