Six men who were jailed for a combined total of more than 21 years as part of an operation to tackle serious and organised crime in Great Harwood could have their sentences extended following a referral under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.

Coming under the umbrella of Operation Warrior, the investigation by Lancashire Police focused on the supply of class A and class B drugs and burglary.

Eighteen people in total were charged with various offences, with some already convicted and jailed for their part in the operation.

Over the last 18 months a significant amount of cocaine and cannabis has been seized, as well as cash, mobile phones, weapons and stolen property.

On Friday August 4, the following people were jailed at Preston Crown Court:

  • Hassan Mahmood, 20, of St Edmund Street, Great Harwood, charged with conspiracy to supply cannabis - nine months
  • Yaser Kabel, 34, of St Edmund Street, Great Harwood, charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - four years and 10 months
  • Nasar Kabel, 40, of St Cecilia Street, Great Harwood, charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - five years and two months
  • Babber Maqsood, 35, of St Edmund Street, Great Harwood, charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis - five years
  • Callum Bradley, 21, of Glebe Street, Great Harwood, charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine - two years and three months
  • Idnan Yakub, 36, of Fernlea Drive, Clayton-le-Moors, charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine - three years and nine months

Mathew Walduck, 35, of no fixed abode, was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis, and possession with intent to supply cocaine.

He failed to be produced at court from prison on Friday and as such will be sentenced on September 15.

Police managed to trace messages going back to February 2022 showing Idnan Yakub and Yaser Kabel arranging deals and chasing debts.

In April 2022, officers attempted to stop a Volkswagen Golf being driven by Yakub in Great Harwood.

The vehicle was located a short distance away and in a nearby alleyway, officers found a rucksack containing £4,000 of cannabis, packaged in snap bags with a green trim around them. Hassan Mahmood’s fingerprints were found on those bags.

Police recovered a number of WhatsApp messages dating back to June 2022 between Walduck and Masqood relating to drugs dealing.

In some, Walduck asked to work for the drugs line and Masqood referred him to Nasar Kabel and also directed him to collect debts for the OCG.

Bradley was arrested in November 2022, with cocaine in snap bags with a green trim recovered.

Drug-dealing messages along with messages relating to debts owed to Yaser Kabel were recovered from Bradley’s phone.

Walduck and Mahmood were arrested later the same month. Cocaine in snap bags with a green trim were found at Walduck’s home and cannabis and £625 cash were found at Mahmood’s address.

Nasar Kabel was found with a drugs debt list when he was arrested, Yaser Kabel was found with a drugs debt list and a phone being used as the OCG’s drugs line, and when Yakub was arrested we found cash and a TAG watch in his house and a drugs debt list in his car.

Now, all six men’s sentences have been referred to the Attorney General’s Office under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme.

The Attorney General’s Office will consider their case following a referral from a member of the public.

It will consider if there are grounds to refer the case to the Court of Appeal for being unduly lenient.

If it is referred, judges at the top court in the land may hear the case and then make a judgment; either agreeing it is unduly lenient and extending the sentence, disagreeing and leaving the sentence the same, or they may even refuse to hear the case at all.

Anyone can make a referral to the Attorney General under the ULSS, and numerous people can ask for a case to be reviewed.