Five jailed and drugs line shut down in Burnley
They've been convicted of conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine
Five people who ran drugs lines to sell heroin and crack cocaine across East Lancashire have been jailed.
The organised crime group, led by Adeel Khan and Javed Miah, set up and ran the 'Casper' and 'ACE' lines.
Lancashire Police launched 'Operation Marina' to put the group out of business.
Officers watched each member of the conspiracy commit illegal acts and seized 'significant amounts' of Class A drugs, cash and some weapons.
The group operated from Khan's stash house on Todmorden Road in Burnley - that is where they stored and packaged drugs.
Trusted members of the operation went there to collect drugs and make sure the street dealers always had enough stock to sell to their customers.
Khan was the main controller of the 'Casper' drugs line. He packaged, directed and organised the drug supply and made sure the street dealers were 'topped up'.
Miah was second in command and controlled the 'ACE' line. When it was initially set up, more than 1,000 calls were diverted directly to him, before later being diverted to other members.
Forensic evidence linked Miah to the preparation and packaging of the drugs and he also controlled other members of the group.
When Khan was stopped by the police in May, Miah rang co-defendant Matthew Hefford and sent him to the stash house to remove evidence.
Hefford went to the stash house to top up his own drugs supply and the supplies of other dealers.
Kasim Amin had regular contact with Khan, Miah and Hefford and delivered large sums of money. He also topped up with 'mid-level weights' of Class A drugs.
Gabrielle Hughes, who is Amin's partner, was involved in preparing and bagging up the drugs and also delivered cash to co-conspirators.
Faisal Hussain was also a street dealer for the group.
Temporary DCI Tom Edmondson, of East CID, said:
"Led by Adeel Khan, this tight-knit OCG ran a sophisticated operation with each member playing a significant and vital role. Motivated by greed they targeted some of the most vulnerable people in East Lancashire and spread misery by preying on people’s desperation.
"Through pro-active and diligent police work we have manage to identify and charge these conspirators and dismantle their organisation. I welcome the sentences handed down to the defendants and I hope it sends out a clear message that drug trafficking will not be tolerated on the streets of Lancashire.
"If you are aware of illegal activity in your area I would encourage you to call us on 101, confident that we will take the appropriate action."
All of the defendants were convicted of conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
- Adeel Khan (25/09/91), Juniper Close, Bradford. Jailed for six years and eight months.
- Javed Miah (7/4/91), Brent Street, Burnley. Jailed for eight months.
- Kasim Amin (24/10/99), Burnley Road, Cliviger. Jailed for six years and three months.
- Faisal Hussain (9/1/97), NFA. Jailed for seven years.
- Matthew Hefford (9/6/86), NFA. Jailed for three years and six months.
- Gabrielle Hughes (14/10/95), Burnley Road, Cliviger. Given a two-year suspended sentence.
- Faisal Khan (9/3/98), March Street, Burnley. Given an 18-month suspended sentence.