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27
May 2023
25 years for drugs gang that targeted Harrogate
The leaders of an organised crime gang that flooded Harrogate with heroin and crack cocaine have been jailed for over 25 years.
The Bradford gang operated a county line drug dealing set-up known as the Pat Line through which they targeted vulnerable drug users in Harrogate.
They recruited Harrogate drug dealers Natalie Hullah, 33, previously of Harrogate, but now of St Edmund’s Street, Manchester, and Melissa Nicole Barnwell, 49, of Skipton Road, Harrogate, to sell the drugs locally in return for payment in heroin or crack cocaine.
The Pat Line was one of three lines shut down by North Yorkshire Police through a Drug Dealing Telecommunications Restriction Order in 2020.
Qasib Hussain, 25, of HMP Wetherby, previously of Idle Road, Bradford, dictated the movement of large quantities of class A drugs from West Yorkshire into North Yorkshire.
Qasib Hussain
This was done through the use of couriers who travelled from Bradford to Harrogate where the drugs were sold following a bulk text message sent from Qasib Hussain to users in Harrogate.
The Pat Line predominantly remained with Qasib Hussain in Bradford where he conducted his operation but on occasion it was passed to others to manage such as his brother, Aqib Ali Hussain, 24, of Killinghall Road in Bradford.
Aqib Ali Hussain
Aqib’s role included topping up the county line handsets and travelling to and from Harrogate to oversee the smooth selling of the drugs belonging to Qasib.
Hussain Khan, 25, of Greenway Road, Bradford, would step into Aqib’s role if Qasib was elsewhere.
The investigation was able to show that Aqib Ali Hussain had made multiple journeys to Harrogate, including 16 separate journeys over three consecutive days, each one lasting around half an hour before he returned to Bradford.
It showed the top trio were linked to the two phone numbers of the Pat Line through analysis of phone data messages, CCTV of them topping up the phones at local shops, and text messages between the group and their local dealers talking about how much they had made.
Hussain Khan
All five were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs and pleaded guilty in 2021. They were jailed for:
Qasib Hussain – nine years and nine months
Aqib Ali Hussain – six years and nine months. He was also sentenced for an additional two years and three months in relation to another investigation in West Yorkshire that targeted York, bringing the total term of imprisonment to nine years and two months (consecutive).
Hussain Khan – six years and three months
Melissa Barnwell – 16 months suspended for two years, six months' drug rehabilitation requirement and complete 25 days of rehabilitation activity
Natalie Hullah – 21 months suspended for two years, and must complete 21 days of rehabilitation activity
Read more:
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- Headteachers unite to warn of vaping dangers to children in Harrogate district
'They flooded Harrogate with drugs'
Detective Chief Inspector Fionna McEwan of North Yorkshire Police, said:
County lines
'County lines' is the term given to a form of organised crime in which drug dealers, usually from urban areas, such as West Yorkshire or Manchester, target smaller towns and cities. It takes its name from the mobile phone lines used by dealers to advertise drugs for sale. Violence and intimidation is prevalent within county lines.
A major concern for North Yorkshire Police is a practice known as cuckooing, which is where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person and use it to store and sell drugs. They often use violence and intimidation to achieve this.
Members of the public provide invaluable information that helps shape our operational activity and we urge residents to look out for the signs of cuckooing in their neighbourhood and report any concerns they have.
Signs of “cuckooing” to look out for include:
Increased callers at a property
• Increase in cars pulling up for short periods of time
• Different accents at a property
• Increased antisocial behaviour at a property
• Not seeing the resident for long periods of time
• Unfamiliar vehicles at the property
• Windows covered or curtains closed for long periods
• Communal doors propped open
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