Four jailed as Birmingham cocaine empire crushed with mobile phone evidence

A drugs ring which supplied cocaine and heroin in Birmingham and the West Midlands has been crushed with the gang locked up for more than 30 years.

Shaun Ali and Jermaine Lewis were at the heart of the illegal operation which was exposed after West Midlands Police analysed phone records. Officers acted on information and executed a series of warrants in Birmingham, Walsall and the outskirts of Wolverhampton during a County Lines Intensification Week in March.

Ali and Lewis were arrested alongside Anil Ali and Pace Lewis - the latter pair working underneath the two ringleaders in the supply network. Anil Ali ran a street dealing line in Walsall and would return a percentage of the profits, while Pace Lewis was in debt to Shaun Ali and Jermaine Lewis and was completing deals to repay them.

Phone records showed the contact between them and further enquiries by police established all four were involved in the illegal empire running across the West Midlands.

They each pleaded guilty to the supply of Class A drugs and were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (October 20). Shaun Ali, Jermaine Lewis and Pace Lewis also admitted supplying cannabis.

Shaun Ali, 30, of Old Stafford Road, Cross Green, was jailed for nine yearsJermaine Lewis, 30, Sherlock Street, Birmingham, was jailed for nine yearsPace Lewis, 23, Brewster Street Walsall, was jailed for eight years and four monthsAnil Ali, 29, of Kent Street, Walsall, was jailed for six years.

Detective Sergeant Clare Gilliland, who led the investigation, said: "We’ve closed down a drugs line and put those involved behind bars. These arrests may have been during a County Lines Intensification Week, but this is activity we are doing all year round to stop dangerous and illegal drugs being peddled on the streets and causing further harm in our communities."

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police added: “We’re now running Operation Target in a tough stance against a range of serious offences – from drug dealing and burglary, to cyber-crime and fraud. Officers are using local intelligence, seizing goods, carrying out warrants and targeting suspects as part of the ongoing operation.”