Eleven jailed for organised Class A drugs ring

Kazi Ahmed (l), Uwais Hassanjee (m), and Jamil Ahmed (r) were jailed for their role in the enterprise

Eleven people have been sentenced for their role in an organised drugs gang, following months of undercover surveillance.

The group was caught selling heroine and crack cocaine to 300 customers in Cheltenham and Gloucester, making up to £7,000 a day. They appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on 8 and 17 May to face the charges.

The drugs line was ran by 32-year-old Uwais Hassanjee, alongside his right-hand men, Kazi Ahmed and Jamil Ahmed, both 23-years-old.

Hassanjee worked under the pseudonym "Polo" and recorded an answerphone message welcoming customers to his "sweets and confectionary" business.

Bradley McPhee (l), Daniel Brady/Darby (m), and Ciaran Winser (r) were recruited as sellers

Hassanjee, who has past convictions for drug dealing, chose the name for his enterprise because it was also his nickname.

This was used to his advantage in the drugs trade by creating a brand his customer base could recognise and trust, Gloucestershire Police said.

He would source bulk quantities of the Class A drugs and periodically take them to Gloucestershire himself for onward supply, or employ a group of people to transport and supply the drugs on his behalf.

Officers watched as Hassanjee recruited 24-year-old Bradley McPhee, 30-year-old Daniel Brady/Darby and later, 21-year-old Ciaran Winser.

All three were living in Blackburn and Leicester at the time, and were coaxed into the conspiracy under the promise of a lavish lifestyle and free accommodation at high-end rental properties in Cheltenham.

Officers seized bags packed full of crack cocaine and heroin parcels, ready for distribution

Specialist officers arrested the group in the middle of a drug deal on 15 September 2022. Searches of the property uncovered a total of 60.27g of crack cocaine worth an estimated £4,500, along with 153.1g of heroin worth about £3,560.

In addition, officers seized cash totalling £2,651.

A month later, a further runner, 21-year-old Hassan Ahmed, was identified to be working for Hassanjee in Cheltenham while under the supervision of Kazi Ahmed.

Kazi Ahmed and 19-year-old Emily Barbosa were arrested on 19 October 2022 when their car was intercepted by police. In the boot of the vehicle, officers recovered a block of heroin weighing 248g, and 64g of cocaine divided into wraps to sell.

Hassan Ahmed (l) and Emily Barbosa (r) were arrested as part of Operation Pontus

In November of 2022 officers were watching an address in York Street, Cheltenham, where Hassanjee had housed his latest drugs runner, 24-year-old Leevi Grieve.

They forced entry into the address to arrest the occupants and found Hassanjee, Jamil Ahmed and Grieve in possession of a kilogram of drugs along with large quantities of cash.

Sameer Khan, aged 20, whose involvement had stopped by the time of his arrest, was one of Hassanjee's trusted delivery drivers, police said.

Khan admitted to driving Hassanjee but claimed he was unaware he was couriering drugs. He said when he found out the nature of the parcels, he stopped working for Hassanjee.

Lukas Januf, 28, had also been recruited to deal drugs in Cheltenham, but his involvement had stopped prior to his arrest.

Leevi Grieve (l), Khan (m), and Lukas Januf (r) were employed by Hassanjee as drug runners and dealers

The group received the following sentences:

• Uwais Hassanjee- jailed for 10 years and seven months

• Kazi Ahmed- jailed for eight years and three months

• Jamil Ahmed- jailed for six years and 10 months

• Sameer Khan-jailed for six years and 10 months

• Bradley McPhee- jailed for seven years

• Daniel Darby- jailed for five years and four months, plus nine months concurrent for perverting the course of justice

• Ciaran Winser- two years suspended sentence, plus 250 hours of unpaid work, a £156 surcharge fee and £50 fine

• Lukas Januf- jailed for five years and two months and given a £190 surcharge fee

• Leevi Grieve- jailed for four years and six months

• Emily Barbosa- two years suspended sentence, plus 250 hours of unpaid work and a £156 surcharge fee

• Hassan Ahmed- 20 months suspended for two years, plus150 hours of unpaid work and a £156 surcharge fee

Following their prosecution, Det Insp Matt Phillips from the Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: "We would like to remind drug dealers that you are not untouchable or above the law.

"Officers at Gloucestershire Constabulary will work tirelessly to gather the evidence that we need to secure a conviction against you."