Three drug dealers have been jailed after West Midlands Police dismantled a drugs line between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield. Pictured: From L-R: Zeeshan Hussain, Zoheeb Asghar and Qasim Akhtar (Image: West Midlands Police)

'King' line smashed as police unmask men who flooded Sutton Coldfield with drugs

Zeeshan Hussain, Zoheeb Asghar and Qasim Akhtar were jailed for a total of more than 15 years

18 Oct 2024, 15:59 by Naomi DeSouza, https://www.facebook.com/naomicovlive · Birmingham Live

Three drug dealers have been jailed after West Midlands Police dismantled a drugs line supplying crack cocaine and heroin between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield. Zeeshan Hussain, Zoheeb Asghar and Qasim Akhtar were responsible for running the 'King' line between Erdington and Sutton.

Specialist officers found the line used two mobile numbers between June 12 and December 11 last year. Forensic analysis of phone data showed large numbers of messages were broadcast offering drugs for sale, with activity showing in Erdington and Sutton.

On December 12, traffic officers stopped a car on Bradford Road, Birmingham, after it was seen being driven suspiciously. The driver was 38-year-old Akhtar, and his passenger was Asghar, aged 35.

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A mobile phone was found in the car which was later analysed and found to have the same phone number as the King line. An axe was also seized from the vehicle and a search of the area revealed a number of packets containing class A drugs, believed to have been dumped from the car.

Police raided Hussain's address in Birmingham where he was arrested and a number of packets, like the ones found at the roadside, were seized and found to contain crack cocaine and heroin. All three were convicted of supplying crack cocaine and heroin and were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday October 11.

Hussain, of Riddfield Road, and Asghar, of Tibland Road, were both jailed for five years and three months and Akhtar, of Wrexham Road, Walsall, for four years and ten months.

Det Sgt Robert Moir, from West Midlands Police's County Lines Taskforce, said: "With these arrests and subsequent jail terms we've not only taken three drug dealers off our streets but we've also dismantled a line that was supplying drugs between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield.

Three drug dealers have been jailed after West Midlands Police dismantled a drugs line that was supplying crack cocaine and heroin between Birmingham and Sutton Coldfield. Pictured: Zoheeb Asghar (Image: West Midlands Police)

"Our focus is to tackle these County Lines, which push drugs from larger towns to outlying areas, and can so easily wreck lives by perpetuating a cycle of crime and often the exploitation of the vulnerable. Our fight against them will continue with the support of the communities we serve."