Drugs ring smashed: County lines gangsters from Birmingham jailed for over 100 years

A dozen people have been jailed for over 100 years after one of Britain's biggest county lines drugs gangs which made £1.2 million a year was smashed by police.

The organised crime group would make up to £100,000 a month peddling heroin and crack cocaine on the streets of Birmingham and Solihull, West Mids.

Detectives launched the largest ever operation undertaken by West Midlands Police's County Lines Taskforce in November 2022.

Advertising drugs for sale

The probe - codenamed Operation Hunterian - 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.

A total of 17 warrants were executed at properties across Birmingham and Solihull following a six-month investigation in the gang, who worked as a "coalition".

100 years of jail time for drug dealers

Now, 12 people have been caged for more than 100 years at Birmingham Crown Court after pleading guilty to drugs charges earlier this year.

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'.

Crooks tried to evade capture

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.

£100k per month in illegal revenue

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.

A significant quantity of class A drugs, a large amount of cash and mobile phones used to run some of the lines were recovered during several raids.

Arrest at Birmingham Airport

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.

Detective Sergeant Craig Tennant, from West Midlands Police, said: “This is a fantastic result following a complex investigation.

"The team have successfully taken a large number of drugs off the streets and put this group who caused misery in our communities behind bars for a very long time.

“The four lines operated under a unique model and they all worked together as a coalition, which is rare to see with drugs line.

Public urged to share information

“This meant they could service more customers and ultimately earn more money together. 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."