Drug gang orchestrator jailed for more than four years

A man who orchestrated the deals of a drug gang operating in Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed after confessing in court.

Irbaz Hussain, 24, of Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent, was arranging deals of heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis from a mobile phone linked to the ‘blue line’ in the city before he was caught and arrested.

Back in 2022, we discovered that the number was sending thousands of messages to people across Staffordshire advertising the sale of illegal drugs.

We used covert tactics to track down Hussain and compile evidence to prove he was behind the operations, later finding out that he had been recruiting runners to deliver the drugs on his behalf after advertising them.

After gathering all of the evidence, we arrested Hussain inside his home in July 2023 and he was charged with various offences.

After previously pleading guilty to the charges, Hussain was sentenced to four-and-a-half-years behind bars at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court earlier this month for two counts of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug, one count of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and one count of possession of a class B drug.

Detective Constable Emma Blackband works in our Criminal Investigations Department and dealt with the case. She said: “This was a great result that has seen a sophisticated organised crime group disrupted with some effective proactive policing.

“These types of groups often exploit the vulnerable into working for them and can blight local communities. We’re working hard every day to stop them and will continue to use a range of tactics to put those responsible behind bars.”

If you think someone you know might be at risk of exploitation by criminal groups, call us on 101 or message us using Live Chat on our website.

To make an anonymous report, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Tell them what you know, not who you are.