County lines gang ordered to pay back ill-gotten gains

Two members of a county lines gang are ordered to forfeit almost £23,000 of their ill-gotten gains.

Zakaira Ahmed, of Millennium Road in Toxteth, Liverpool and Ammin Hassan, from Merseyside, travelled from Liverpool to supply crack cocaine and heroin to drug users in Macclesfield.

The 24-year-old and 25-year-old, retrospectively, are believed to have been part of a drugs conspiracy that had a potential value of between £71,000 to £142,000.

Between July 2019 and July 2020 Ahmed used graft mobile phones to advertise and facilitate the sale of the drugs in the town.

The gang also recruited three youths from Northamptonshire to assist with the drug dealing operation.

During separate interventions officers from Macclesfield recovered 91 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, multiple phones and £860 in cash.

The pair pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and were sentenced on 14 December 2020 at Chester Crown Court.

Ahmed and Hassan both received a seven-year and six month sentence.

Following their sentences a timetable was set under the Proceeds of Crime Act and an investigation began into Ahmed and Hassan’s finances.

The investigation identified Ahmed had gained £19,480 from his criminal conduct and Hassan had profited £3,200.

On Wednesday 24 November the case was called back to Chester Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime hearing.

The judge ordered Ahmad and Hassan to pay a total of £22,800.

Detective Sergeant Angela Coppock, from Macclesfield Local Policing Unit, said: “Ahmed and Hassan were part of a county lines organised crime group for financial gain.

“The gang also used youngsters to assist with their drug dealing and preyed on vulnerable adults who have addictions.

“The police’s work doesn’t always stop at a prison sentence. We can go one step further by using the Proceeds of Crime Act to hit them financially where it hurts.

“The money they have been ordered to pay back will be spent on improving local communities.”