A county lines drug dealer from Manchester carried on supplying crack cocaine and heroin to a Cheshire town after being arrested. Abdulatif Abdulkadir was initially held by officers on in February 2021 when he was driving in Ellesmere Port and found in possession of £1,231 in cash and two mobile phones – one of which was used as a ‘burner’ phone to sell drugs.
He was subsequently charged with being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and possession of criminal property. But he was bailed by the courts, so continued dealing for a Manchester-based county lines gang.
Cheshire cops continued to gather evidence and launched a further investigation into Abdulkadir, focusing on the ‘burner’ phone which proved that drugs were being sold in the town. He was again later arrested in May last year after detectives raided his home in Demesne Road, Manchester.
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In a statement, Cheshire Constabulary said: "During the raid, officers seized three further ‘burner’ phones, two sim cards, a quantity of cash and three snap bags of cannabis. Evidence from the recovered mobile phones showed Abdulkadir to be active in the sale and distribution of class A drugs."
The 32-year-old was remanded in custody after he was charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and being in possession of class B drugs (cannabis) and criminal property. At Chester Crown Court he was jailed for five years and three months after pleading guilty to all charges.
Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Phillip Hunt of the Western Proactive Team said: “This is a great result which demonstrates our efforts to ensure those who deal illegal drugs in our communities are caught and brought to justice. Through our extensive enquiries, it became clear that Abdulkadir was a key player in the supply of illegal drugs in the Ellesmere Port and Manchester areas.
“Illegal drugs have a hugely detrimental impact, and we are committed to doing all we can to remove those involved in the supply of such drugs from our communities. Thankfully, as a result of all of the evidence we gathered during our investigation, Abdulkadir is now behind bars.
“Warrants can be hugely successful but information from the public is vital for this fight, and I urge anyone with any information about suspected drug related activity in their community to get in touch. You will be listened to, and we will investigate the matter.”
You can report suspected drug dealing to Cheshire Constabulary online at https://www.cheshire.police.uk/ro/report or by calling 101. Information can also be reported anonymously, via Crimestoppers, on 0800 555 111 or at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.
