THREE main players in a drugs supply conspiracy have been sentenced to a total of nine years and nine months imprisonment.

Rockab Afzal, 29, of Beaufort Street, Nelson, was today (Thursday 24 October) given two years and nine months at Burnley Crown Court for conspiracy to supply heroin between the 16 December 2011 and 22April 2013.

Ishfaq Hussain, 25, of Chapelhouse Road, Nelson was sentenced to four years imprisonment on Wednesday 23 October, at Burnley Crown Court for conspiracy to supply class A drugs between December 2011 to April 2013, possession with intent to supply heroin and possession of a stun gun.

Hussain was given three years for the drugs conspiracy charge, one year to run consequtive for possession of the stun gun and six months concurrent for possession with intent to supply heroin.

Shahid Ansar, 23, of St Pauls Road, Nelson was also sentenced to three years on Wednesday 23 October, at Burnley Crown Court for conspiracy to supply class A drugs between December 2011 to April 2013.

Led by the Pennine Division Targeted Crime Unit, officers began an investigation into the supply of drugs in the Nelson, Burnley, Brierfield and Accrington areas in January 2013, codenamed Operation Freight, targeting Ansar, Afzal and Hussain as the three main suppliers to other drug dealers in the vicinity.

On 4 August 2012, Ansar was involved in a car crash and ran away from a vehicle where nine bags of heroin were recovered along with £1,000 in cash and mobile phones which contained the numbers of and interactions between him and known drug dealers and users.

Then on 10 August 2012, Hussain’s home address on Chapelhouse Road, Nelson was raided. £850 in cash was recovered along with two mobile phones which also contained telephone contacts and texts and phone calls between him and known drug users and dealers.

In November 2012, Ansar and Hussain were detained by police officers and mobile phones were seized, which again contained telephone numbers and evidence of contact between them and known drug users and dealers.

In March 2013, an address on May Street, Barrowford was raided and Afzal was arrested. £905 cash was seized which was contaminated with heroin. As the house was being raided, Afzal destroyed a mobile phone which contained the numbers of known drug dealers. On the same day, a car key was also found in Afzal’s personal car, belonging to a gold coloured 2005 Renault Megane which was parked on Pilgrim Street in Nelson. Inside the vehicle, 25g of heroin with a street value of £1,400 and 2kg of heroin cutting agent that could be used to increase profit of heroin to the estimated value of £171,000 were found.

In April 2013 Ansar was arrested again. £1,000 cash was found in his pocket and a further £4,000 was found in a safe which was hidden in the chimney breast in his loft. It was later in the year in August that Hussain was arrested after a warrant was executed at an address in Bradford. Here, officers found 4g of heroin, crack cocaine, equipment for making crack cocaine, 50g of cutting agent, digital weighing scales, drugs packaging and a stun gun.

Speaking after sentencing, Detective Inspector Neil Marr said: “Today’s result comes at the end of an investigation into three high profile drug dealers that have blighted the streets of Nelson and further afield. “I hope that this serves as a warning to drug dealers that we will find out who you are and put you before the courts to be punished accordingly.

“I am pleased with the sentences that have been given, and can reassure the public that they are part of our on-going commitment to taking drugs off our streets.

“We take the public’s drugs concerns seriously, and we will take action.”

The trio will now feature on billboards and leaflets in the Nelson area, to highlight the sentences to the communities who were affected by their drug dealing as part of Lancashire Constabulary’s Behind Bars campaign.