"Drugs can cost lives and cause misery within communities"
Two men from Coventry have been jailed for a total of 14 years and two months after a Class A drugs production line was discovered at a house in the city.
Akbar Ali and Juhel Ahmed were arrested after their operation was busted during a police raid.
Birmingham Crown Court heard that the discovery was made when officers from West Midlands Police’s regional organised crime unit raided a property in Hipswell Highway, Wyken, in July 2018.
The raid took place after officers received information and intelligence about what was going on at the house.
Upon discovering the drugs production line, cocaine and heroin worth up to £45,000 and cannabis were recovered.
After seeing the kitchen area, police said it acted like a “Class A production line”.
Ali and Ahmed were arrested and subsequently charged with supplying Class A drugs. They both pleaded guilty to the charge.
A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said:
“Drugs can cost lives and cause misery within communities, and there will be no let-up in our efforts to flush out those involved in such illegal activities.”
Both men were sentenced on Wednesday, May 27, 2020.
Ali, aged 31, of Burlington Road, Stoke, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in prison.
Ahmed, aged 43, of Ena Road, Foleshill, was jailed for six years and four months.
Anyone with information on drugs or any other crimes in their community can contact West Midlands Police via its Live Chat or by calling 101.
Information on crime can also be passed on anonymously through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org
In another case of large-scale drugs operations, a Birmingham-based gang were jailed for a total of 40 years on November 16, 2018.
The six-person gang supplied heroin and crack cocaine from Birmingham into Ledbury, Herefordshire, and Malvern, Worcestershire, known as the ‘Uzi Line’.
It was heard that they supplied two kilograms of Class A drugs and made over £150,000 within a 12-month period, supplying 133 customers.
The gang were caught in an undercover operation by the West Midlands Organised Crime Unit alongside West Mercia Police.
They were the first convictions in a wider regional police offensive, codenamed Operation Ballet, targeting suspected County Lines drug dealers.
Superintendent Sue Thomas, Policing Commander for Herefordshire, said:
“We are determined to protect our communities from the supply of illegal drugs which are often targeted at the most vulnerable.
“We want to make it clear to offenders that there will be consequences should they engage in dealing illegal drugs.”
“This operation is not over. Further arrests and warrants are planned to tackle those who are suspected of being involved in transporting drugs across county lines.
“We continue to work with other police forces and law enforcement partners to target those who traffic drugs from larger cities to more rural counties like Herefordshire.”
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