Dealer who sent thousands of texts advertising drugs for sale in Yorkshire market town jailed
A drug dealer who sent thousands of bulk text messages advertising his illegal wares for sale in a Yorkshire market town has been jailed.
Sadhiul Haque lived in Bradford but operated in Pudsey, selling crack cocaine and heroin an investigation by West Yorkshire Police found.
The force’s Operation Phoenix team linked the 28-year-old to an active drugs line, and raided his home in Nottingham Street in Bradford in February this year.
Officers searched his VW Golf and found a key to a Vauxhall Corsa which was parked nearby where they discovered crack cocaine and heroin bagged up for individual sale worth more than £2,000. Haque’s DNA was found on the packages.
Two phones were also seized inside his address which were linked to the drugs line as well as £1,520 in cash.
The 28-year-old admitted being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine; being concerned in the supply of heroin; possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and possession with intent to supply heroin.
He was sentenced to four-and-a-half years behind bars at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday (Aug 25).
Detective Inspector Helen Chapman, who heads West Yorkshire Police’s dedicated county lines taskforce Operation Phoenix, said: “Haque was found to be behind a Bradford-based drugs line that had been supplying crack cocaine and heroin into the Pudsey area of Leeds for some significant time.
“Our investigation built up a detailed evidential picture that linked him solidly to these offences and saw him left with no option but to plead guilty at court.
“The supply of Class A drugs fuels acquisitive crime and violence in our communities and brings misery to the lives of individual users and their families. We hope the significant sentence Haque has received will provide some reassurance to the public and serve as a warning to others.
“Operation Phoenix will continue to take a robust proactive approach to disrupting and dismantling county lines drug dealing by targeting the individuals and organised crime groups behind it.”