A gang of blundering drug dealers has been jailed after they shared photos of cash below the words ‘money talks baby’ on social media.
Junaid Khan, 24, Musa Khan,19, Trevor Smith, 23, Asim Rafiq, 27, and Keeley Glover, 33, were this week collectively sentenced to over 20 years in prison.
Police investigated the organized crime gang (OCG) which supplied Class A drugs – including cannabis, cocaine and heroin – across Northern England as part of Operation Warrior.
And in October last year, they raided Junaid Khan’s property in Burnley, Lancs., where they uncovered drugs along with telephones and cash.
Detectives later managed to access the mobile phones they had recovered, which revealed evidence of drug dealing on a large scale across Burnley and Bradford.
And pictures taken by the group inside the property also showed them handling drugs on a glass table – and showing off just how much cash they had made.
Police also secured evidence that one of the group had started dealing cannabis when he was just 14.
The gang were sentenced at Preston Crown Court this week.
Junaid Khan, described as the gang’s ‘kingpin’, was given eight years and nine months in jail for conspiracy to supply cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
He had already been serving a prison sentence for other drug offences.
Asim Rafiq was handed seven years in jail for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
Trevor Smith was handed three years and nine months in prison for offering to supply and being concerned in the supply of heroin.
Musa Khan received one year and six months in jail for conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
And Keeley Glover was given a community order for conspiracy to supply cannabis.
A 16-year-old, who can’t be named for legal reasons, will be sentenced at a later date for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
Detective Sergent Stu Peall, of Lancashire Police’s East Exploitation team, encouraged anyone who knew of drug dealing in their community to come forward.
He said: : “We will continue to crack down on those involved in drug supply in our communities and who prey on the vulnerable for their own greed.
“I hope that seeing these sentences encourages people to continue to report suspicious activity, either directly to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.”
