Police stop-check leads to five men sentenced to total of 31 years for large scale drugs supply conspiracy

Detectives from Greater Manchester Police’s Xcalibre Task Force uncovered a large-scale drugs network following a routine stop-check in South Manchester.

The organised crime group were found to be sourcing large amounts of drugs, which were being distributed to regular customers and would recover large amounts of debts. 

A property on Westbank Road in Burnage was used as a safe house to store the drugs.

Their activity was exposed when Jawwad Iqbal-Wahid and Imran Hossain were stopped by officers as they travelled at speed along Stockport Road, A6, in Levenshulme at 6.35pm on Saturday 27 October 2018.

The vehicle was stopped on Hector Road, Longsight and smelt strongly of cannabis, which resulted in officers conducting a search of the vehicle. This search led to several snap bags of cannabis being located while Hossain was found to be in possession of a large amount of money and two mobile phones.

After being arrested, their mobile phones were seized which uncovered text messages arranging drug dealing within the South Manchester area and further afield. One of these phones was found to be a drug line being operated by Sadek Shek.

A meticulous investigation was carried out by detectives from Xcalibre Taskforce. This led to a warrant being executed at the property of Sadek Shek on Brynton Road in Longsight in February 2019. From the search of this address cocaine and cannabis as well as cash and drug related call cards were found along with seven mobile phones.

The analysis of the phones led to two other members of the organised crime group being identified who were playing key roles in the supply of class A and B drugs. One of these people was the ‘warehouseman’ Michael Gill who would routinely take control of large amounts of drugs on behalf of the leaders of the operation. Muteeb Tahir was found to be a key customer of Shek who worked closely with Hossain and Iqbal-Wahid to supply drugs at a street level. Shek routinely collected large sums of money from Tahir and Hossain along with other unknown customers.

On 17 October 2019 warrants were executed at numerous properties and six men were arrested and subsequently charged. Police recovered over 4.8 kilos of MDMA, nearly two kilos of cannabis and substantial amounts of ketamine and other drugs from one of the properties with a combined street value of £220,000.

The men appeared at Manchester Crown Court for sentencing on Friday 6 January 2023 after pleading guilty.

Sadek Shek, aged 25, of Brynton Road, Longsight, Manchester was jailed for 10 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine.

Imran Hossain, aged 29, of Elsdon Road, Longsight, Manchester was jailed for six years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine.

Muteeb Tahir, aged 27, of Hector Road, Longsight, Manchester was jailed for six years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine.

Jawwad Iqbal-Wahid, aged 25, of Hector Road, Longsight, Manchester was jailed for three years for conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine.

Michael Gill, aged 33, of Westbank Road, Burnage, Manchester was jailed for six years and nine months for conspiracy to supply cocaine, MDMA, cannabis and ketamine.

The officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Sergeant Mark Graham said: “This criminal network was uncovered, and then dismantled, after two members of the organised crime group were stopped by officers for traveling erratically.

“The recovery of the drugs, cash and mobile phones in the vehicle led to an investigation which established that the men were operating as part of a large-scale drug supply conspiracy within the South Manchester area and further afield. The investigation revealed who they were working for, and they were subsequently arrested and charged.

“Their main aim was to make a profit from the supply of illegal class A and class B drugs and were very organised in how they received their payments by meeting at specific locations and using passwords in attempt to stay undetected.”