The 12 faces of the £1.2m Birmingham & Solihull drugs gang facing jail for heroin & crack cocaine deals

One of Britain's biggest county lines drugs gangs which raked in £1.2 million a year has been dismantled by police after 12 of its members were convicted. 

The prolific group would make up to £100,000 a month peddling heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Birmingham and Solihull to more than 200 users.

Detectives launched the largest ever operation undertaken by West Midlands Police's County Lines Taskforce in November 2022. The probe focused on the Rico, Diego, Figo and Potter drug lines, which were taking more than 1,000 calls a day. 

Phone analysis found they were sending bulk messages to large numbers of people advertising drugs for sale - each referencing either Rico, Diego, Figo or Potter. Police discovered brothers Addam and Haroon Iqbal and Mohammed Usman were in control of the ‘Rico Line’ using two numbers operating in Hodge Hill, Birmingham.

Further investigations by Britain's second biggest police force uncovered Adam Slater and Tiahna Phillips both working for one of the other lines. They were stopped in their car in Solihull last February and analysis of Slater's phone identified it was being uses for the 'Diego line'. Later than month, Yasine Sadiq reactivated and switched the line to a different network in a bid to evade capture. 

But telecommunication investigations and CCTV enquiries meant detectives were able to track the change and link Yasine to the ‘Diego line’. Mark Seeley and Amani Adams were then linked to the 'Figo line', which was being controlled by a man called Ilyas Sadiq.

The three men would regularly exchange messages arranging meet ups and drug drop offs. Seeley’s car was captured on CCTV a number of times parked outside shops where the ‘Diego line’ would be topped up.

Drug users would top the line up in exchange for extra drugs, which was another tactic often used by drug dealers to evade police. Finally, Anees Mahmood, Humair Ul Rehman and Levy Mukwita were found working for the 'Potter line' and in regular communication with each other.

Messages revealed that Mukwita would supply drugs to all four lines and would act as the "middle man" to each line. The revenue from these lines were estimated to be between £18,000 and £20,000 per week – up to a staggering £100,000 per month. It means the gang could have earned at least £1.8 million during the one and a half year period in which they were known to be active. 

On May 23, 2023, 17 warrants were executed at properties across Birmingham and Solihull following a six month investigation. A significant quantity of class A drugs, a large amount of cash and mobile phones used to run some of the lines were recovered.

Addam and Harroon Iqbal, Usman, Seeley, Yasine Sadiq, Ilyas Sadiq, Slater, Phillips and Mukwita were all arrested. Amani Adams and Rehman handed themselves in the following month, while Mahmood was arrested at Birmingham Airport in September having fled to Pakistan. 

Over the last eight months, 11 people have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Birmingham Crown Court. On Wednesday (May 15), Amani Adams was the last person to appear at court where he also pleaded guilty. All 12 defendants are now facing lengthy jail terms when they are sentenced at a later date. 

Detective Inspector Phil Poole, from the force's County Lines Team, said: “This was a huge and complex investigation carried out by The County Lines Team who have successfully taken a large number of drugs off the streets and secured these convictions. 

“The four lines operated under a unique model and they all worked together as a coalition which is rare to see with drugs line. This meant they could service more customers and ultimately earn more money together.

“The people involved have caused misery in communities in Birmingham and Solihull, by fuelling serious and organised crime such as knife crime, burglary and robbery.  Our actions do not stop at enforcement. We continue to work with partner agencies to offer support to vulnerable people and provide long-term support.

“As ever, we couldn’t do this without information from the public and encourage you to get in touch if you have any information. You might think it’s nothing, but it could be integral to our investigation. We’re relentless in our fight against organised crime.”