Drug dealers who ran County Lines in Surrey behind bars
They have been sentenced to a total of 14 years and two months
Last updated 13th Aug 2021
Three prolific drug dealers who ran the ‘Ghost’ county line in Surrey have been sentenced to a total of 14 years and two months in prison at Guildford Crown Court.
Abdi Muhamed, 36, Nicola Shine, 41, and Younus Tayyib, 27, were sentenced to a total of 14 years and two months between them for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
In June last year, numerous offenders were sentenced for their involvement in dealing drugs for the Ghost line.
Following the sentencings, officers noticed that messages advertising Ghost’s drugs were still being sent to users, showing that the line was still active.
Further intelligence and analysis linked the phone being used to send some of the messages to addresses connected with Younus Tayyib.
Data from the same phone identified Nicola Shine as one of Ghost’s drug runners.
Cell site analysis showed that Shine and Tayyib travelled to the same location together to rent a hire car.
The same car drove into Surrey from London on a daily basis and was later connected to drug dealing.
On 24 November 2020, officers were ready to arrest Tayyib and Shine.
When Shine was pulled over in Dorking, a crack pipe was found in her car and she tested positive for cocaine on a roadside drug test.
In custody, a total of 37 wraps of cocaine and heroin were found concealed in Shine’s clothes.
The same day, officers conducted warrants at three addresses linked to Tayyib.
He was arrested at an address in Hayes, where he was found in possession of the phone running the Ghost line.
Also found in the property was around £1,500 in cash, weighing scales, cling film and other drug paraphernalia.
In Tayyib’s bedroom at his family home in Ealing, 23 grams of crack cocaine was seized, with an estimated street value of around £2,300.
Abdi Muhamed was arrested when he was found inside the same address as Tayyib during the warrant in Hayes.
Two more mobile phones seized from the address were linked to Muhamed and contained hundreds of messages selling drugs for the Ghost county line.
Messages on the same phone also showed Muhamed directing Shine to sell drugs on his behalf.
Further evidence was found in the deleted items on Muhamed’s phone on the day of his arrest, including a video of him counting £45,000 in cash and another showing him cutting a large quantity of cocaine and heroin into smaller wraps.
Younus Tayyib, of Northcote Avenue in Ealing, received five years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to the charge.
Nicola Shine, from Greenford in Ealing, received two years and four months’ imprisonment after pleading not guilty.
Abdi Muhamed, of Pembroke Court in Ealing, received six years and 10 months’ imprisonment after pleading not guilty.
The jury dispelled Muhamed’s defence of possessing a burner phone not for dealing drugs, but for keeping in contact with numerous secret girlfriends.
Detective Constable Martin O’Neill, who investigated the case, said after the sentencing on Thursday (11 August): “The Ghost county line has been prolific in Surrey over the past couple of years.
"After putting away several drug runners, we realised that the line was still active and that this time, we needed to target the people running the line from the top.
"The people who think they’re safe because they run the line from the comfort of their own home in a different county.
“I hope that yesterday's result shows that if you are travelling to Surrey to deal drugs, we will work tirelessly to find you and we will bring you to justice.
"As demonstrated by these sentences, you don’t even need to be found in possession of drugs for us to prove that you’re dealing them in our communities.
“We will continue to proactively investigate drug dealing in Surrey, so if you are thinking of dealing drugs, my message to you, is that it’s not worth it.”
If you are concerned about drug use or drug dealing in your area, you can contact the police on 101 or via the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency, always dial 999.
What are the signs of potential drug dealing?
• Lots of visitors, who don't stay very long, arriving at all times of the day and night
• People waiting in cars outside particular properties exchanging small packets or cash
• Lots of visitors bringing items such as TV's or bikes but leaving empty handed
• Lone/vulnerable neighbours suddenly having groups of young men living at their address
What police want to know:
• Time, date and place
• Vehicle registrations and the make, model and colour
• Descriptions of people and details of what they were doing