County lines drug dealer jailed following raid

A county lines drug dealer who was involved in the supply of drugs from Manchester into Ellesmere Port has been jailed following a successful warrant at his address.

Abdulatif Abdulkadir was initially arrested by officers on 6 February 2021 when he was driving in Ellesmere Port after he was found in possession of around £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 and was bailed by the courts – but this didn’t stop him dealing for the Manchester based County Lines Team.

Ellesmere Port Proactive Team continued to gather evidence and launched a further investigation into Abdulkadir, with a focus on the ‘burner’ phone which proved that drugs were being sold in the town.

Abdulkadir was again later arrested on Friday 6 May after detectives conducted a warrant at his home address on Demense Road, Manchester.

During the raid, officers seized three further ‘burner’ phones, two sim cards, a quantity of cash and three snap bags of cannabis.

Evidence gathered 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.

He appeared at Chester Crown Court on Monday 24 October where he was subsequently 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

Pictured - Abdulatif Abdulkadir