‘County lines’ drugs pair jailed
FIVE MEN including two from Calderdale have been sentenced at Burnley Crown Court, following a county line drugs investigation by Cumbria Police, assisted by West Yorkshire Police.
The crime group, branding itself ‘Striker’, flooded South Cumbria with crack cocaine and heroin between July 26 and September 9, 2021, and exploited children as young as fourteen to traffic drugs from Bradford to Barrow-in-Furness.
Asim Hussain, 21, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, the head of the crime group, was sentenced to eight years in prison and made subject of a Serious Crime Prevention
order for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, and money laundering.
Adil Hussain, 19, of Waterlily Road, Bradford, brother of Asim, was sentenced to a 12-month community order for money laundering.
Jibram Rahman, 27, of Round Street, Bradford, a drugs courier, was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.
Abaas Ali, 31, of Lower Edge Road, Brighouse, also a drugs courier, was sentenced to four years in prison for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, and money laundering.
Street dealer Simon Harrison, 36, of Furness Drive, Illingworth, was sentenced to two years and three months for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
Two others – Matthew Murphy, 20, a street dealer, of Cloth Hall Street, Huddersfield, and Kelly Newby, 41, a ‘houser’, of Lesh Lane, Barrow-in-Furness – were sentenced at an earlier hearing for their roles in the conspiracy.
The investigation started when police raided an address in Lesh Lane, Barrow, on July 26, 2021, after reports of drug dealing in the area.
Key evidence was recovered including mobile phones used throughout the conspiracy to coordinate the drug supply and exploitation of children.
The crime group flooded South Cumbria with crack cocaine and heroin