Birmingham and Solihull drug dealers Rico, Diego, Figo and Potter convicted after ‘biggest ever investigation’

Twelve members of a County Lines drugs gang supplying Birmingham and Solihull and “making £100,000 a month” have been convicted after the biggest ever investigation by a specialist police team. West Midlands Police’s task force, set up two years ago, had its best ever result after executing 17 warrants on May 23 last year across the town and city.

Investigated the Rico, Diego, Figo and Potter drug lines for six months as part of Operation Huntarian, which began in November 2022. Detectives found that all four lines showed bulk messages sent to a large number of numbers – a common feature of county line operations.

They took over 1,000 calls a day and served over 200 heroin and crack cocaine users. The numbers associated with each line would refer to either Rico, Diego, Figo or Potter and advertise the drugs for sale.

READ MORE: ‘Jay line’ drug gang who posed with huge cash faces jail

The Rico line

Brothers Aadam and Haroon Iqbal and Mohammed Usman were in control of the ‘Rico Line’ through two telephone numbers operating in Hodge Hill. Aadam and Haroon were stopped by officers “numerous times”.

The phones and IMEI numbers (International Unique Mobile Equipment Identification Numbers) recovered from them linked them to the operation of the “Rico line”. They frequently placed them in the same location as the phone line. During the search of their properties, when the warrants were executed, Haroon and Usman were each found with a “Rico line”.

Diego Line

Adam Slater and Tiahna Phillips were both working for the ‘Diego line’ on 3 February 2023. They were stopped in their car in Solihull where phone records showed the ‘Diego line’ was active in the area.

Slater was stopped again on February 14 and two phones were recovered. After analyzing the phones, one was identified as being used for the “Diego line”. The line was later dropped.

On February 17, Yasine Sadiq reactivated and changed the line to another network. He did the same with his personal phone number. However, through telecommunications investigations and CCTV enquiries, detectives were able to trace the change and link Yasine to the ‘Diego line’.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “This is a tactic often used by drug dealers to avoid capture by the police.”

The Figo line

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. The three men regularly exchanged messages arranging meetings and drug deliveries.

Seeley’s car was caught on CCTV several times parked outside shops where the ‘Diego line’ would be completed. Drug users would be at the top of the list in exchange for additional drugs. A tactic often used by drug dealers to evade the police.

The Potter 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 24-year-old would act as an intermediary for each line and phone records showed he arranged the supply of drugs with those who control and run all the lines.

READ MORE: ‘Flash Line’ drug dealer convicted after cash found in property raid

All four lines were active in parts of East Birmingham and Solihull. Revenue from the lines was estimated at between £18,000 and £20,000 a week – up to £100,000 a month.

During the raids, West Midlands Police recovered “a significant amount of Class A drugs, a large amount of cash and mobile phones used to run some lines”.

Addam and Harroon Iqbal, Usman, Seeley, Yasine Sadiq, Ilyas Sadiq, Slater, Phillips and Mukwita were all arrested on 23 May. 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 Wednesday, Amani Adams was the last person to appear in court where he pleaded guilty. All 12 will be sentenced at a later date

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Det Insp 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 wreaked havoc on the communities of Birmingham and Solihull, fueling serious and organized crime such as knife crime, burglary and robbery. Our actions don’t stop at law enforcement. We continue to work with partner agencies to support vulnerable people and provide long-term support.

“As always, we couldn’t do this without information from the public and we encourage you to get in touch if you have information. You might think it’s nothing, but it could be an integral part of our investigation. We are relentless in our fight against organized crime.”