Mahmood Hussain, date of birth 21/09/1976, Buckingham Street, Rochdale - jailed for 14 years
Michael Hogan, 07/07/1961, Sawyer Street, Rochdale - jailed for 10 years
Carl Singleton, 04/03/1975, Great Lee Walk, Rochdale - jailed for 8 years, 6 months, plus 4 months of an unexpired sentence.
Gazanfer Hussain, 11/12/1981, Lightwood Road, Normacott, Stoke-on-Trent - jailed for 6 years
Bilal Moghal, 06/10/1958, Vincent Road, Sheffield - jailed for 6 years
Shaied Iqbal, 04/08/1976, Drummond Road, Aston, Birmingham - jailed for 6 years, 6 months
Mohammed Yousaf, 18/06/1969, Normandy Road, Perry Barr, Birmingham - jailed for 8 years
Ansar Iqbal, 25/05/1977, Selston Road, Aston, Birmingham - jailed for 8 years
Abdul Jangeer Aziz, 06/12/1980, Stockingstone Road, Luton, Bedfordshire - jailed for 5 years, 9 months
Shezad Rehman, 27/06/1980, Meir Road, Normacot, Stoke-on-Trent - jailed for 6 years
Gang was behind large-scale drugs trafficking in Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Birmingham and Bedford. Thirty-nine kilos of heroin, 1.5 kilos of amphetamine and an amount of cocaine were seized during the ten-month probe. Detectives from Staffordshire Police’s Major Crime Unit worked closely with colleagues in Greater Manchester, Bedfordshire and the West Midlands to break the ring. The men were arrested over a period of six months as officers pieced together the syndicate structure and how they operated. This led to a number of separate seizures and arrests. Initial enquires by Staffordshire Police in June 2006 led them to Luton in Bedfordshire where a man was seen to hand over a bag to Abdul Aziz. Following the transaction Bedfordshire Police stopped a taxi. They found five kilos of heroin and arrested Aziz, who was a passenger in the taxi. Greater Manchester Police worked closely with Staffordshire Police to identify that Michael Hogan was actually the courier of the heroin and that he was living in Rochdale. As a result of this work Staffordshire Police were able to observe Hogan in the Walsall area where he met with the occupants of a Peugeot. West Midlands Police stopped the Peugeot and arrested Mohammed Yousaf and Ansar Iqbal who had three kilos of heroin. Having confirmed Hogan’s role as a courier, Staffordshire Police mounted an operation to arrest him. On Saturday 22 July 2006 he was seen receiving a holdall from Shaied Iqbal in the Newtown area of Birmingham. Staffordshire Police stopped and arrested Hogan and found that the holdall contained 10 kilos of heroin. Shaied Iqbal was later arrested for his role in the transaction. The investigation team also focused on the Stoke-on-Trent end of the business controlled by Gazanfer Hussain, of Lightwood Road, Normacott.
Shezad Rehman, of Meir Road, Stoke-on-Trent, who was working for Gazanfer Hussain, was seen to meet the occupant of a Vauxhall Corsa in Bengry Road, Stoke-on-Trent. Following this meeting, Rehman was stopped and arrested by Staffordshire Police who seized one kilo of heroin and several ounces of cocaine. Bilal Moghal was later arrested after being identified as the person who handed the heroin to Rehman.
Further enquiries by Greater Manchester Police and Staffordshire Police identified Mahmood Hussain of Buckingham Street, Rochdale, as a major player in the syndicate and had subsequently recruited Carl Singleton as a courier to replace Hogan. On Thursday 1 November 2006, an operation was undertaken between the two forces which led to Singleton being stopped near Tamworth with 20 kilos of heroin in his vehicle. At the same time Greater Manchester Police arrested Mahmood Hussain in Rochdale for his part in the conspiracy. The final arrest of the gang took place on Monday 4 December. Gazanfer Hussain was arrested in Stoke-on-Trent after a meticulous investigation had confirmed him as a major player in the syndicate’s supply network.
All ten were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. All but two of the gang pleaded guilty. The other two were found guilty following a trial at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court.
Superintendent Bernie O’Reilly, from Stoke-on-Trent division, said: “Operation Nemesis is sending a very clear message to drugs dealers: don’t even think of trying it in Staffordshire. Members of the public can be reassured that we are listening closely to their concerns and actively doing something about them.
“Our comprehensive investigation and excellent work with other police forces exposed a drugs gang involved in large-scale supply, and we stopped large amounts of the drug reaching the streets of Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Birmingham and Bedford.
“As well as significant prison sentences, dealers also risk losing their homes and vehicles. We are nationally recognised for using the Proceeds of Crime Act to deprive criminals of assets they’ve acquired through crime, and we’ll be making confiscation orders as part of this investigation.”
Supt O’Reilly appealed to members of the public to continue contacting the force with information about drug dealing.
Detective Inspector John Ogdon, from Greater Manchester Police's drugs unit, said: "This is an excellent result for all of the forces involved. Drugs contribute to all manner of other criminal offences and removing the people responsible for supplying them is essential if we are going to tackle this.
"The fact that so many forces worked together on this investigation has meant we have been able to take prolific drug dealers off the streets all over the UK.
"We are delighted to have been part of this operation and hope it acts as a warning to anyone else involved in drug related crime. This behaviour will not be tolerated and we will do everything possible to make sure you are held to account for your crimes."
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