Sheffield drugs kingpin jailed over county lines cocaine ring

Sheraz Mohammed (top left) , Mohammed Hansar Ali (bottom right) and some of the cocaine seized by police

Sheraz Mohammed was one of 24 members of an organised crime group jailed for more than 265 years between them for their role in supplying the class A drug from Sheffield and Essex to Lincolnshire.

The 42-year-old, of Prince of Wales Road, in Sheffield – who led the Sheffield branch of the operation, according to Lincolnshire Police – was sentenced to 15 years and nine months behind bars after admitting conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Another Sheffield man, Mohammed Hansar Ali, 30, of Horndean Road, was given a prison sentence of 11 years and three months after pleading guilty to the same offence.

Lincoln Crown Court heard how huge quantities of the drug were shifted from Sheffield and Essex into Boston, Spalding and Skegness between April 2017 and June 2018.

East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), which carried out the investigation in partnership with Lincolnshire Police, intercepted more than 2kg of cocaine but Judge John Pini said it was likely that more than 20kg – with a total value of £960,000 – was moved from Sheffield into Lincolnshire, and 10-20kg was thought to have entered the county from Essex.

Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin, the National Police Chief Council’s lead for drugs, said: “I welcome these sentences which have been achieved through the dedication and determination of EMSOU and Lincolnshire officers. Drug dealers cause devastating damage to communities and the vulnerable people who they supply.

“When dealers are put behind bars, others simply fill the void they have left. We will continue to bring drug dealers to justice, but we have to see this as a wider societal and public health issue that the police cannot solve on their own. There must be a focus on supporting and diverting those that need illicit drugs to eliminate the problem.”

In total, 20 men and four women were sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court over Thursday, January 30 and Friday, January 31 having been convicted of conspiracy to supply drugs, among other offences.