Drug gang which operated in Birmingham and Solihull convicted

Twelve people from a county line drugs gang supplying Birmingham and Solihull have been sentenced.

West Midlands Police’s taskforce, which was set up two years ago, executed 17 warrants in the district and city last May following a six-month investigation into the Rico, Diego, Figo and Potter drug rings.

In November 2022, the County Lines team launched a major investigation into the four lines known as Operation Huntarian.

The numbers associated with each line would refer to either Rico, Diego, Figo or Potter and advertise the drugs for sale.

Brothers Aadam and Haroon Iqbal and Mohammed Usman were in control of the ‘Rico line’ through two phone numbers operating in Hodge Hill.

In February, Adam Slater and Tiahna Phillips, both working for the Diego line, were stopped in their car in Solihull, where phone records showed the “Diego line” was active in the area.

Police analysis showed that one of them is used for the Diego line.

Police said the line was abandoned but was later reactivated by Yasine Sadiq.

Investigations into phone records associated with the Figo line showed regular communication between Mark Seeley and Amani Adams, who worked for the line, along with Ilyas Sadiq, who controlled the line.

As the investigation gathered pace, detectives looked into the Potter line, which showed Anees Mahmood, Humair Ul Rehman and Levy Mukwita in regular communication.

The messages showed that Mukwita would supply drugs for all four lines.

The lines were active in parts of east Birmingham and Solihull and took more than 1,000 calls a day and served more than 200 drug users of Class A heroin and crack cocaine.

Police say the income from these lines was estimated to be between £18,000 and £20,000 a week – up to £100,000 a month.

Aadam and Harroon Iqbal, Usman, Seeley, Yasine Sadiq, Ilyas Sadiq, Slater, Phillips and Mukwita were all arrested during the warrants.

Amani Adams and Rehman handed themselves in the following month, while Mahmood was arrested at Birmingham Airport in September after fleeing to Pakistan.

Over the past eight months, 11 people have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Birmingham Crown Court.

On May 15, Amani Adams was the last person to appear in court where he pleaded guilty.

All 12 will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Inspector Phil Poole from the County Lines Team said: “This was a huge and complex investigation by the County Lines Team which successfully took a large number of drugs off the streets and secured these convictions.

“The four lines operated under a unique model and all worked together as a coalition, which is rarely seen with the drug line. This meant they could serve more customers and ultimately make more money together.

“The people involved have caused havoc in the communities of Birmingham and Solihull, fueling serious and organized crime such as knife crime, burglary and robbery.”