County Lines group who brought drugs from Birmingham to Burton jailed

A group who brought crack cocaine and heroin into Staffordshire from Birmingham have been jailed for a total of 36 years.

West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (WMROCU) set up an operation which ran between 2016 and 2017 to tackle those responsible for a County Lines operation which was bringing class-A drugs from Birmingham into Burton-upon-Trent.

 

Detectives made arrests and targeted properties, as well as piecing together evidence from phones and CCTV to secure the convictions.

 

Faizan Khan, 31, of Longbridge, Birmingham, had the leading role in the operation and was sentenced to eight years seven months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine between July 2016 and January 2017.

 

Others who played significant roles and also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine were Taylor Burns, jailed for three years two months; Ronan Blake, jailed for three years; Ishran Rashid, jailed for two years six months; and Zaiba Khan and Mustafa Nazir, jailed for 20 months suspended for two years, and 22 months respectively.

 

Detective Sergeant Steve Schollar, of WMROCU, said: “This group was working together to bring quantities of heroin and crack cocaine into Burton from Birmingham.

 

“We will not tolerate drug dealing in Staffordshire and we will continue to build on the recent success of our County Lines and Disrupt operations, as well as acting on intelligence gathered, to bring offenders before the courts.”

 

All 13 were jailed at Stafford Crown Court by Judge Salmon from 15 to 18 October.

 

The following pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine:

 

Faizan Khan, 31, of Merrishaw Rd, Longbridge, sentenced to eight years seven months

 

Taylor Burns, aged 20, of Richmond Rd, Stechford, sentenced to three years two months

 

Zaiba Khan, aged 32, of Highfield Road, Alum Rock, sentenced to 20 months suspended for two years

 

Mustafa Nazir, aged 27, of Inglefield Road, Stechford, sentenced to 22 months

 

Ishran Rashid, aged 23, of Cromwell St, Ladywood, sentenced to 30 months

 

Ronan Blake, aged 20, of Latelow Rd, Stechford, sentenced to three years

 

Tahir Qasim, aged 30, of Southfield Rd, Edgbaston, sentenced to three years seven months

 

Curtis Grant, aged 20, of Fernbank Rd, Alum Rock, sentenced to 16 months

 

Zayshan Rashid, aged 26, of Cromwell St, Ladywood, sentenced to 22 months

 

Liam Harding, aged 24, of Audley Rd, Stechford, sentenced to three years two months

 

Steven Davison, aged 31, of Church Gresley, Swadlincote, sentenced to 12 months plus a further 29 months for an unrelated Derby indictment

 

Sameer Khan, aged 23, of Highfield Rd, Alum Rock, sentenced to 30 months

 

Mason Hutton-Attenborough, aged 19, of Mary Road, Stechford, sentenced to 18 months

 

In earlier hearings in May 2019:

 

Maurice Reid, aged 50, of The Cloisters, Burton, pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting supply of controlled drugs on premises.  He received a 12-month community order.

 

Thor Wright, aged 31, of Shakespeare Road, Burton pleaded guilty to two counts of permitting supply of controlled drugs on premises.  He received a 41-week sentence suspended for 12 months.