Harrogate county lines drugs gang jailed

Ermal Biba, Allaman Tatariku, Adam Sarkowski and Klajdi Lleshi left a trail of misery, police said

Four members of a gang who ran a county lines drugs network in the Harrogate area have been jailed.

Gang leader Ermal Biba was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Monday alongside Allaman Tatariku, Adam Sarkowski and Klajdi Lleshi.

They had admitted conspiring to supply cocaine and cannabis in and around the town between 2019 and 2022.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said: "Drug rings such as this have a ruinous effect on our society."

Biba, 39, of Trafalgar Court, Harrogate, was jailed for 13 years and six months.

Tatariku, 26, of Penhale Road, Portsmouth, was jailed for seven years and one month.

Sarkowski, 41, of Wedderburn Close, Harrogate, was jailed for four years and seven months.

Lleshi, 23, of Kinloss Court, North Circular Road, Barnet, London, was jailed for six years and three months.

A fifth man, Gavin Woodley, 45, of Ashfield Road, Harrogate, was given a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to allowing a premises to be used under the Misuse of Drugs Act. He was also found to have had a stun gun and a blank-firing pistol at his home.

'Pure selfishness'

The court heard that a North Yorkshire Police operation led officers to Ashfield Road, Harrogate on 5 May 2022 where suspects Biba, Tatariku and Lleshi were discovered. Drugs and related items were seized along with cash and cannabis-growing equipment.

The force said a search of Sarkowski's home uncovered mobile phones and sim cards which revealed valuable information about county lines, drug-dealing activity and vehicles used, as well as messages with customers relating to purchasing drugs.

Evidence uncovered by the operation also connected Biba, Lleshi and Woodley to a large-scale cannabis production facility at Sherwood Business Park, Queensway, Rochdale. This site, uncovered by Greater Manchester Police, grew cannabis with a street value of more than £1.4m.

Investigating officer Det Con Sinead Brocken, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Drug rings like this leave a trail of misery.

"These individuals acted out of pure selfishness, disregarding the damage caused by drugs to both our communities and those addicted to them."