Drug dealing crackdown sees four Lancashire men jailed as cocaine and heroin seized

Four men have been jailed following a series of investigations into drug dealing in Lancashire.
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Officers from the dedicated Targeted Crime Team (TCT) at Lancashire Police started their series of investigations into organised crime groups and their members last year.

Four Lancashire men have now been jailed this month (February) following their enquiries after they were caught dealing drugs across the county.

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Sgt Hayden Sibley of the Targeted Crime Team said: “Drugs bring misery to our communities and we will pursue anyone we believe to be involved in drug related crime.

“As always we need intelligence coming from members of the public to alert us to potential drugs activity so that we can investigate and continue to disrupt these organised gangs.

"I would encourage anyone who feels that they have information that could help to contact us or independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously."

The first man to be arrested was Fayjul Haque who was spotted by police dealing drugs in Burnley in February 2020.

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After being detained by officers inside the Tesco Express in Casterton Avenue, the 27-year-old was caught in possession of crack cocaine and heroin which had been hidden inside a Kinder Egg.

The drug dealers taken off East Lancashire's streets thanks to dedicated police operations. (Credit: Lancashire Police)The drug dealers taken off East Lancashire's streets thanks to dedicated police operations. (Credit: Lancashire Police)
The drug dealers taken off East Lancashire's streets thanks to dedicated police operations. (Credit: Lancashire Police)

A further search of the shelves inside the store also led to discovery of a large snap seal bag which contained more crack cocaine and heroin.

Haque, of Fifth Avenue, Burnley, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to three years in prison.

In July 2020, Jacob Barton, 20, and Gurdial Singh, 27, were seen meeting up with a number of suspected drug users after driving around Blackburn in a silver Ford Focus.

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Barton ran from the vehicle after it was stopped by officers in Cardwell Place, but he was later detained in the town centre.

“Drugs bring misery to our communities and we will pursue anyone we believe to be involved in drug related crime."“Drugs bring misery to our communities and we will pursue anyone we believe to be involved in drug related crime."
“Drugs bring misery to our communities and we will pursue anyone we believe to be involved in drug related crime."

The 20-year-old was found in possession of "£700 worth" of crack cocaine and heroin, "wads of cash" and several mobile phones.

Subsequent house searches in Preston uncovered further amounts of heroin and crack cocaine worth £270 and £900 in cash, according to police.

Barton, of Bank Hey Lane North, Blackburn and Singh, of Ribbleton Avenue, Preston, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and were each sentenced to three years in prison at Preston Crown Court.

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The fourth man to be caught by police was Mohammed Dar, who police said was stopped on several occasions "in circumstances relating to the supply of class A drugs" during 2020.

During this time, the 19-year-old had mobile phones, cash and drugs seized either directly from him or from people connected to him.

An investigation was put together and through forensic evidence and telephone records, Dar was charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Dar, of Taylor Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to three years, nine months in prison.

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"Officers from the dedicated TCT unit investigate organised crime groups and their members connected to the supply of class A drugs in our communities," a spokesman said.

"With covert operations, early morning raids and specialist canine support, the team work tirelessly to tackle criminality and safeguarding issues linked to drug dealing.

"Police systems, officer observations and information from the public are all used to build intelligence cases around subjects suspected of being involved in this type of criminality.

"The team makes use of stop search powers to proactively target suspects in order to maximise disruption against these organised groups. They also work with partner agencies including probation, social care and education services to assist in the targeting offenders and the rehabilitation of individuals caught up in this type of criminality."

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Anyone with concerns about drug dealing in their area has been urged to contact police on 101 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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