A drugs gang offered home deliveries of crack cocaine and heroin in Barrow.
Today, the final members of the county line operation have been sentenced at Preston Crown Court.
The Shakka organised crime group was broken up by the police’s Operation Remote. Set up in September 2023, Cumbria police said it was a complex investigation.
The Shakka line, predominately ran from a prison cell in South Yorkshire, flooded Barrow with heroin and crack cocaine using graft numbers to advertise the availability of drugs in the area, even offering a delivery service to users’ homes.
Initially in late 2022 and early 2023, the Shakka group rotated a safe containing large amounts of drugs, cash and graft phones among its lower levels.
These members were regularly stocked with drugs and were trusted to manage the safe and its contents. From May 2023, the group’s methodology shifted to traditional county lines set-up where a main ‘graft’ phone was controlled and operated by an out-of-county facilitator based in Oldham.
Police raided a home on Barrow’s Wordsworth Street on November 1 2023, which resulted in the arrest and charge of four members of the OCG and a large amount of cocaine was seized.
Following this, a strike phase took place at addresses in Oldham, Rochdale and Barrow. It led to 10 people being arrested and charged as part of the conspiracy and two charged it with ancillary drug supply and arson with intent to endanger life offences.
The head of the county line was Al-Shakil Sadiq, who controlled the line from his prison cell in HMP Lindholme, using a number of illicit mobile phones to co-ordinate the activities of the gang members and arrange for the transportation of class A drugs from Manchester to Barrow to be sold.
He was jailed on September 20 for 10-and-a-half years.
Sadiq used a network of individuals who each played a key role in facilitating the supply of heroin and crack cocaine to the streets of Barrow.
- Sarah Kolsuma Sadiq, 30, of Belfield Road, Rochdale, was a senior member, using personal mobile numbers and Snapchat to ensure the continuity of the drugs supply operation when her brother, Al-Shakil was unable to co-ordinate matters himself due to prison disruption. She was responsible for laundering her brother’s money. Sarah Sadiq was sentenced to six years and four months in prison for her role in the conspiracy.
- Shamim Hussain, 28, of Sherwood Street, Oldham, controlled the second OCG graft number and was responsible for sending out bulk drug advertisement messages to users in the Barrow area. He travelled to Barrow on nine occasions to restock the OCG and collect money. Shamin Hussain was sentenced to six years in prison.
- Gregory Bell, 47 of Marsdale Grove and Brandon McGuire, 25, of Marsh Street, Barrow, were responsible for storing and preparing drug restocks of class A drugs for onward supply in Barrow. Bell and McGuire also played a part in controlling the first OCG graft number. Bell was jailed for four-and-a-half years and McGuire was jailed for four years and one month.
- Jackson Young, 20, of Long Croft, Barrow was responsible for the cocaine operation in Barrow under Al-Shakil Sadiq. He would recruit and direct sub-dealers. He was sentenced to three years in prison for his role.
- Kirsty Davidson, 36 and John Thompson 44, both of Wordsworth Street, Barrow, were street dealers who used intimidation tactics against other members on behalf of Al-Shakil Sadiq. In July 2024 Davidson was jailed for 56 months, and Thompson was jailed for 65 months. Both were also sentenced for their role in a separate county lines investigation – Operation Frozen.
- James Thompson, 44, of Peter Street, Whitehaven, was arrested and charged with drug supply and arson after travelling to Barrow in October 2023 where he was seen on CCTV pouring petrol on an address in Barrow. He was also seen engaging in drug deals from the home of Kirsty Davidson. He was jailed for 28 months for his role in the conspiracy and also pleaded guilty to an offence of arson with intent to danger life. In total he received a five-and-a-half year prison sentence.
Another person, who was 17 at the time of arrest, entered a guilty plea at Manchester Youth Court on February 20 this year.
PC Ryan Smith, of the Community Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “We have disrupted a major county lines organised crime group and now have nine people behind bars for their role in a county lines drugs conspiracy.
“I am pleased with the sentences handed out, resulting in the group being jailed for 50 years in total and more importantly, taking nine dangerous people and illegal substances off the street.
“This was a significant operation which spanned many months and involved officers from Barrow police and the Community Serious Organised Crime Unit, the North West Regional Crime Team and Greater Manchester Police, working in close partnership to disrupt and dismantle the organised crime group.”
