Three jailed for their roles in Harrogate county lines drugs operation

(L-R) Qasib Hussain, Aquib Ali Hussain and Hussain Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs as part of a county lines operation

Three men have been jailed for their roles in a county lines drug conspiracy which "flooded Harrogate with drugs".

Qasib Hussain, 25, led a gang that bulk-messaged 2,901 drug users between July 2019 and February 2020, Leeds Crown Court heard on Friday.

Aquib Ali Hussain, 24, and Hussain Khan, 25, helped supply an estimated 2.61kg of crack cocaine and heroin to be sold on the streets by other people.

All three were jailed after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply drugs.

The court heard that the men had sent bulk messages to drug users when supplies were available on 153 days.

Class A drugs were then dispatched to Harrogate where "drug runners", who were often vulnerable people with addiction problems, were used to sell the items on the streets.

Qasib Hussain claimed he was not the leader of the line and had been making £100 a day from managing the phone line, but Judge Robin Mairs dismissed his argument as "wholly dishonest".

He was arrested at his home on Sherwood Place, Bradford, along with his brother Aquib Ali Hussain.

Prosecutor Eleanor Fry said: "It's clear that he at times delegated responsibility for managing the line to his brother and his friend Hussain Khan."

She said the line made an estimated £261,000.

'Drugs scourge'

Judge Mairs, sentencing, said: "Class A drugs are a scourge in each and every one of our towns and cities.

"They bring with them other crime. They bring misery and they bring, for some, death.

"But they also bring substantial profit, that's why there are those unscrupulous enough to deal in them. They use the weaker and more vulnerable to take the risks and deal at street level."

At Leeds Crown Court, the men were given jail sentences ranging from nine years and nine months to six years and three months

He said Aquib Ali Hussain and Hussain Khan had been "first and second lieutenant" to Qasib Hussain, who was in charge of the operation.

Qasib Hussain was jailed for nine years and nine months, Aquib Ali Hussain was imprisoned for nine years and Hussain Khan was sentenced to six years and three months in jail.

Melissa Barnwell, 49, and Natalie Hullah, 34, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

The court heard that Barnwell and Hullah were two of the gang's "drug runners" and that, although it was likely that more people were selling drugs as part of the conspiracy, the evidence for bringing charges against the two women was convincing.

Barnwell had sold drugs to an undercover police officer on two occasions in September 2019, the court heard, and Hullah had sent messages from her own phone to contacts to increase sales.

Judge Mairs said the women were "used by the men because of their vulnerability".

Barnwell was sentenced to 16 months in jail suspended for two years and Hullah was given a 21-month sentence suspended for two years.

Det Ch Insp Fionna McEwan, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "They flooded Harrogate with drugs, making money at the expense of local users, the majority of whom were vulnerable due to their socioeconomic background and mental health conditions.

"They now have ample time to reflect on their life choices and the damage it causes."