Violent Blackburn drugs gang jailed for nearly 90 years

Detectives behind Operation Warpath, a probe lasting 20 months, found the heads of the gang were based in Blackburn, but their 'turf' concentrated on delivering heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine to the streets of Burnley, Brierfield and Nelson.

When they tried to expand their network, focused on the 'Ace' and 'Adam' drugs lines, police said there were ugly clashes with rival drug gangs.

Eventually, enough evidence was gathered by members of Lancashire Constabulary's East Targeted Crime Unit between December 2021 and mid-July 2023 to make a series of arrests and shut down the lines.

Burnley Crown Court saw a total of 15 drug dealers locked up for their roles in peddling misery and wreaking havoc on East Lancashire's streets.

The defendants, their crimes, and their sentences are:

• Amar Ayad, 29, of Ribble Street, Blackburn, convicted of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and possession of criminal property, was jailed for 11 years, six months,
• Hassan Saqib, 29, of Beasant Close, Blackburn, convicted of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and possession of criminal property, was jailed for nine years,
• Shezad Sikander, 36, of Burnley Road, Briercliffe, convicted of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine, was jailed for seven years and seven months,
• Dannyal Choudry, 21, of Park Avenue, Blackburn, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for seven years and four months,
• Abdul Haleem, 22, of Mansfield Crescent, Brierfield, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for six years and 10 months,
• Mustafa Mehmood, 22, of Oban Drive, Blackburn, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for six years and three months,
• Adiel Nadeem, 26, of Princes Reach, Preston, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for six years and one month,
• Dilaawaiz Malik, 24, of Whalley New Road, Blackburn, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for six years,
• Michael Bray, 32, of Ann Street, Brierfield, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for five years and 11 months,
• Azeem Ismail, 26, of Troy Court, Blackburn, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for five years and six months,
• Joni Necker, 37, also of Ann Street, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for three years and nine months,
• Uzair Bhatti, 26, of Calder Banks, Blackburn, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for three years and nine months,
• Shamir Mahmood, 21, of Spring Street, Rishton, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for three years and four months,
• Saqib Ali, 38, of Chapel Street, Nelson, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for three years and three months,
• Nasir Zafar, 28, of Guilford Street, Brierfield, convicted of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, heroin and cocaine, was jailed for three years and two months.

Suspended sentences, for the same conspiracy offences, were handed to Ammaar Mahmood, 21, of Mellor Brow, Blackburn, of 24 months, and Saqib Ali, 18, of Halifax Road, Nelson, of 20 months.

Abdul Munaf, 38, of Guilford Street, Brierfield, will be sentenced in December.

Detectives still want to speak to 26-year-old Arayeb Saqib as part of ongoing enquiries.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is being asked to call 101, quoting log 1033 of January 7, 2023. For immediate sightings, people should call 999.

DCI Sarah Denson, from the East Targeted Crime Unit, said the gang "spread violence everywhere they want, causing a great deal of disruption and misery in the communities in which they operated".

She added: “I welcome these sentences, which reflect the seriousness of their offending. Law-abiding citizens will now be afforded some respite from their chaos.

“Anyone with information about drug dealers operating in their area should call police on 101, confident we will do everything in our power to dismantle their operations and put their members before the courts.”

Operation Warpath came under the umbrella of Operation Warrior, Lancashire Police’s response to tackling serious and organised crime in Lancashire, supported by county police and crime commissioner Clive Grunshaw.

Mr Grunshaw said: "Results like this highlight the often unseen work being carried out around the clock, and will reassure the public that we are tackling organised crime at full force, with Lancashire Police acting on information from the public to drive criminals out of our county.

"Strong deterrents and proactive enforcement are key, as is focusing on intervention to stop crime in its tracks and break the cycles of reoffending.

"I will continue to back the chief constable, so our police officers and staff have the resources they need to tackle criminal gangs and bring offenders to justice."