Organised crime leader jailed for running multi-million pound Class A drugs ring in Lancashire

Umar Hussain was one of the heads of an organised criminal group (OCG).

The gang conspired to run a multi-million pound Class A drug supply ring throughout the North-West, Yorkshire and the Midlands from their bases in Pendle and Burnley.

His co-conspirators were jailed for nearly 50 years last year.

Hussain, 24, of Southfield Square, Nelson, was jailed for 11 years by Judge Simon Medland KC at Preston Crown Court on Friday (February 2).

How was the gang caught?

Lancashire Police's East Target Crime Unit investigated and dismantled the OCG from February 2022 to March 2023.

The heads of the OCG - commonly referred to by their customers as the ‘Don’, ‘Shark’, ‘Rambo’ and ‘Harry’ Lines - were defendants Hussain, Awais Khan, Javed Ahmed and Subhan Mushtaq.

In April 2022, a drug courier was arrested in April 2023. after he was caught carrying five kilograms of cocaine in Humberside.

An investigation revealed he had travelled from Nelson with 10 kilograms of cocaine and had been directed where to go by Mushtaq.

The courier was given passwords to say and receive before the multi-kilogram drug deals took place.

Mobile phone enquiries showed that the courier had completed multiple wholesale deals of cocaine in Hull, Birmingham and Leicester before being arrested.

The Don and Shark Lines were run by Khan and Ahmed, who between them directed their street dealers and drivers where to go.

Both men were captured on CCTV buying top up credit for their drugs Lines, with Khan primarily controlling the Don Line an Ahmed the Shark Line.

Defendant Sohail Khan worked as a street dealer for The Don and Shark Lines, amongst others.

The Rambo and Harry Lines, which supplied crack cocaine and heroin, was controlled by Mushtaq from a safehouse in Brierfield.

Defendants Zain Shah, Ali Hassan acted as his street dealers.

Glen Tranter and Dillon Gabriel were dealing for the Don and Shark Lines.

In an attempt to thwart the investigation, the heads of the OCGs hired luxury cottages and holiday rentals costing thousands of pounds per week and regularly moved to avoid detection.

Enquiries showed that those operating the Harry, Don, Shark and Rambo Lines would share use of the same street dealers, meaning that multiple cars would be driving around Lancashire dealing drugs on behalf of all four strands of the OCG.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: "During the course of the investigation our officers seized drugs, cash and weapons and also put the four drug-dealing lines out of action."

Rafhan Sarwar, 34, of Charles Street, Nelson, has also been charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin.

He was remanded into custody to appear at Preston Crown Court later this year.