A drugs enterprise has been smashed after police seized more than £100,000 of heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis from a home in Rochdale and arrested two men.
Mohammed Fazal, 27, of Selby Street, Rochdale, was jailed for eight years and Zafran Ali, 19, of Oswald Street, Rochdale, was jailed for five and a half years at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on Friday.
Suspicions were raised on April 24 when members of the public smelled what a stench coming from an address on Yorkshire Street. Police then found large cannabis grow facility with a street value of £42,825 including powered lights, power packs and an industrial sized cannabis worth £300.
Police also recovered 330.20 grams of heroin with a street value of £33,020 which could have been sold to users for well over £1million if mixed to lower purity levels, 110 grams of cocaine valued at £5,500 and 121 grams of crack cocaine, with a street value of £12,128.
On April 26, officers from the Rochdale North Neighbourhood team executed a drugs warrant at the Oswald Street address and recovered approximately four kilos of heroin hidden in the base of a bed in an upstairs room.
PC Meekings, of the Rochdale Organised Crime Unit, said: “This is undoubtedly a substantial haul of class A and B drugs that could have brought an immeasurable amount of misery to the borough of Rochdale.
“I would like to thank the Rochdale community for their assistance in bringing the illicit operations of Zafran Ali and Mohammed Fazal to the attention of the police.
“The sentences today will no doubt serve as a deterrent to anyone else who think they can make money delving in to this abhorrent trade.”
Fazal pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply four kilos of heroin and Ali pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine, heroin and cannabis.
Police were able to link the drugs inside the address to Ali who was later arrested at his home address on Oswald Street, Rochdale with Fazal linked to the four kilos of heroin. Fazal subsequently fled Rochdale and was eventually arrested on May 7.
Detective Inspector Lee Hopwood, of Rochdale North, said “This case shows our continued commitment to address the issues the affect our communities the most.
“Drug dealers are a blight on our communities and the police at Rochdale are committed to identifying these individuals and bringing them to justice- the result of this investigation highlights the role the local community can play to which I thank them for.”
Members of the public wishing to report drug crime in their community can speak with their local policing team, contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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