Two Rochdale drug dealers jailed

Mohammed Fazal

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Two Rochdale drug dealers have been jailed for their roles in a heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis drugs enterprise.

Mohammed Fazal (born 10/05/1986) of Selby Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply 4kg of heroin and Zafran Ali (born 7/8/1994) of Oswald Street, Rochdale, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of cocaine, heroin and cannabis.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester on 1 November 2013, Fazal was jailed for eight years and Ali was jailed for five and a half years.

Their drugs enterprise started to unravel on 24 April 2013 when members of public became suspicious due to a potent stench, believed to be cannabis, emanating from an address on Yorkshire Street, Rochdale. Police were granted access to the property and found a large cannabis grow facility, of which 50 plants had been recently harvested.

The plants had a wholesale value of up to £14,250 and a street value of £42,825. Accompanying the grow facility were high powered lights, power packs, digital scales, and an industrial sized cannabis grinder valued at £300.

Police also recovered 330.20 grams of heroin with a street value of £33,020, 110 grams of cocaine (powder) valued at £5,500 and 121 grams of crack cocaine, with a street value of £12,128.

Police were able to link the drugs inside the address to Zafran Ali. Ali was later arrested at his home address on Oswald Street, Rochdale.

High-visibility police activity in the area resulted in police receiving further information that Class A drugs were being stored at an address on Oswald Street, Rochdale. On 26 April 2013, officers from the Rochdale North Neighbourhood team executed a drugs warrant at the Oswald Street address and recovered approximately 4kg of heroin at 60 percent purity, hidden in the base of a bed in an upstairs room.

The 4kg of seized heroin has a wholesale value of £132,000 and if dealt on the street at 60 percent pure a street value of £400,000. The likelihood is that the heroin would have been mixed to lower purity levels and an increased weight which in turn could have realised well over £1m if sold to users.

Police later linked Mohammed Fazal to the 4kg of heroin. Fazal subsequently fled Rochdale and was eventually arrested on 7 May following a wanted appeal in the media.

PC Meekings of the Rochdale Organised Crime Unit stated "This is undoubtedly a substantial haul of class A and B drugs that could have brought an immeasurable amount of misery to the borough of Rochdale.

"I would like to thank the Rochdale community for their assistance in bringing the illicit operations of Zafran Ali and Mohammed Fazal to the attention of the police. The sentences today will no doubt serve as a deterrent to anyone else who think they can make money delving in to this abhorrent trade."

Detective Inspector Lee Hopwood, Rochdale North said "This case shows our continued commitment to address the issues the affect our communities the most. Drug dealers are a blight on our communities and the police at Rochdale are committed to identifying these individuals and bringing them to justice- the result of this investigation highlights the role the local community can play - to which I thank them for.

"Members of the public wishing to report drug crime in their community can speak with their local policing team, contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or make an anonymous report via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."