Irbaz Hussain (24) of Tunstall received a four-and-a-half-year jail sentence at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court earlier this month.
Hussain was one of the orchestrators behind the ‘blue line’ drug gang and had sent thousands of messages to people across Staffordshire advertising the sale of crack cocaine, heroin, and cannabis.
Staffordshire Police identified a phone number that had been promoting the sale of class-A drugs in the county in 2022. Covert tactics were then used to track Hussain and collect evidence to prove he was one of the men behind this drug operation.
In doing so, the police discovered that Hussain had recruited several runners to deliver the drugs he advertised.
Once sufficient evidence was gathered, Hussain was arrested at his home in July of 2023.
He pleaded guilty to the charges and was jailed for one count of being concerned in the supply of cannabis, one count of possession of a class B drug, and two counts of being concerned in the supply of a class A drug.
“This was a great result that has seen a sophisticated organised crime group disrupted with some effective proactive policing,” stated Detective Constable Emma Blackband.
She continued: “These types of groups often exploit the vulnerable into working for them and can blight local communities. We’re working hard every day to stop them and will continue to use a range of tactics to put those responsible behind bars.”
Experienced writer and journalist James McKean leads the daily editorial output at StaffsLive. To contact him, email news@staffslive.co.uk
