East Lancs dealers who made over £70k selling drugs jailed for more than 21 years

Umar Hamid, who is already serving a 17-year sentence for rape, Joshua Haslam, and Charles Robertshaw, were all jailed for a combined total of more than 21 years at a hearing in Preston Crown Court on Wednesday.

Rapist Hamid, 31, who refused to attend his sentencing, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A and one of Class B drugs in May 2021, after initially entering not guilty pleas.

Haslam

Haslam, 20 pleaded guilty to all three charges at the first opportunity, with Robertshaw initially pleading not guilty, and then changing his pleas in respect of conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs to guilty on day two of his trial.

Robertshaw also pleaded guilty to making explosive substances.

Robertshaw

Prosecuting, Catherine Pierpoint said the defendants were involved in a conspiracy to supply drugs from 2018 to 2020 in the Hyndburn, Rossendale and Blackburn areas, using two drugs lines called the Felix and CCPP line, with CCPP standing for 'cocaine, cannabis, pills and powder'.

Officers searched Hamid and Robertshaw’s homes in November 2019, with police seizing drugs, mobile phones, scales and cash.

Ms Pierpoint said: “What emerged was an organised criminal group headed by Umar Hamid who was responsible for the supply of drugs.

“Two dealing networks were identified, one concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin – the Felix line, another concerned in the supply of recreational drugs, such as ketamine and nitrous oxide, which police named the CCPP line.”

The court heard how Hamid had been serving a jail sentence in HMP Liverpool and was released in 2019, but while incarcerated, was still able to run the drugs operation using an illegal phone from prison.

Ms Pierpoint said: “He was in contact with his wife, Khadija Hamid, and Joshua Haslam, who lived down the road from him, who was running the CCPP line for him while he was in custody.

“Robertshaw was associated with the CCPP line but to a lesser extent.”

Hamid

Haslam was arrested on separate occasions and found with large quantities of drugs and mobile phones, which the police were able to examine, and found images featuring him and Robertshaw holding cash and weapons.

On the first occasion Haslam was arrested he was found with an amount of ketamine, 46 ecstasy tablets, 20 bags of cannabis and a quantity of cocaine, while the court heard his phone did not stop ringing during the arrest.

He was released but continued to deal drugs.

He was arrested again in January 2020 and found with 20 wraps of heroin and five wraps of cocaine.

Again, he was released and again the conspiracy continued.

Upon Hamid’s prison release he took over running of the Felix line, and police were able to track texts sent from this line, which mirrored movements made by Hamid and his wife in their car.

He was arrested in November 2019 and a dealer phone found in his dressing gown pocket.

Junior prosecuting barrister, Anna Chestnut said: “The dealing then continued into January, February, March and April of 2020, until Hamid was arrested in May 2020 for a public order offence.

“He was then re-arrested later that month and remanded into custody.

“Haslam was arrested again on September 1 2020.”

Altogether police estimated that the Felix line made a profit of £69,000 from the selling of class A drugs in East Lancashire.

Ms Chestnut added: “Police were unable to provide an accurate overall value of the amount of money made by the CCPP line however the overall value of drugs recovered involving this line was £4,535.”

The court also heard that in November 2019, Robertshaw was found with an improvised explosive device, and a diary containing chemical equations, which Judge Simon Medland said was not unrelated to the drugs conspiracy although the nature of which wasn't elaborated upon in court.

Police also discovered recordings of Robertshaw making the improvised device, which included disabling nail gun cartridges, as well as one which shows him in a car, believed to belong to Hamid’s wife, Khadija Hamid, before he throws a device out of the window, resulting in it exploding in the street.

Ms Chestnut added: “The device he was making was said to be a small device and not very sophisticated but would cause some damage.”

Hamid’s barrister, Andrew Alty, asked the judge to consider totality when passing sentence, seeing as his client was already serving a lengthy jail sentence.

Robertshaw’s barrister, Seamran Sidhu, said he was only involved for three and a half weeks at the end of 2019 and was of previous good character.

Representing Haslam, Ged Doran said his client had taken advantage of the support offered to him while in custody.

Passing sentence, Judge Medland said: “Class A drugs destroy people’s lives, they corrode society, break up families and destroy people’s health.

“This is a catastrophe in the lives of a young person and a person of previous good character who could have had a bright future.

“But because of the terrible effects these drugs have and also because of the way in which they are acted out to promote the actions of serious organised criminals, and determined criminals such as Umar Hamid, the courts have to take a very serious view of them.

“Hamid was the boss of bosses within the context of these offences.

“He has an absolutely terrible record for very, very serious crimes and is already serving a very, very long prison sentence for other matters.”

Hamid, previously of Hazel Avenue, Darwen, who has 14 convictions for 33 offences was sentenced to 10 years and 10 months in prison.

Haslam, of Somerset Walk, Helmshore, who has six convictions for eight offences, was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison.

Robertshaw, who has two convictions for 12 offences, was handed a six year and seven month jail sentence.

A fourth defendant in the case, Jake Harper, who did not attend court for the sentencing hearing was jailed in his absence.

Harper, 22, was sentenced in respect of criminal damage, which related to the theft of a cannabis grow in June 2019, and received an 18 month term.

Along with a fifth defendant, Pascoe Gilheaney, who had his sentence deferred, Harper was found guilty in his absence at trial, of damaging a motorbike with a pistol-like weapon, which belonged to a man they believe had been involved in the theft of the cannabis grow.