Four members of a county lines drugs network have been sentenced for conspiring to sell class A drugs in Weymouth.
The defendants appeared at Bournemouth Crown Court to be sentenced on Friday 14 October 2022 after pleading guilty at previous hearings to conspiring to supply cocaine and heroin.
Amir Ebrahimi, 32 and of London, Tony Riordan, 26 and of London, Jodie Julie Harris, 28 and of London, and James Steven Henry Muir, 38 and of Abertillery in Wales, were sentenced in connection with the drugs conspiracy in Weymouth.
At the hearing, Riordan was also sentenced for offences that occurred in London and Northamptonshire areas and Ebrahimi and Harris were also sentenced for offences in Surrey.
Ebrahimi was sentenced to a total of eight years and two months in prison. Riordan was jailed for seven years and six months in total and Harris was sentenced to six years and two months in prison for her offending. Muir was given a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work in the community.
County lines is the term used to describe urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas, as well as market and coastal towns, by using dedicated mobile phone lines.
An investigation by Dorset Police found that a phone number was being used by a county lines drug network to sell drugs in the Weymouth area. The drugs were being brought from London into Dorset and sold on locally.
On Wednesday 22 August 2018 Muir was seen engaging in a drug deal in The Marsh. He was subsequently detained and searched by officers, who found wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in his possession.
At a later date in October 2018, officers saw Harris exit a taxi in the town while in possession of a suitcase. Due to her suspicious behaviour, she was detained. The suitcase was found to contain a large quantity of wraps of cocaine and heroin.
Detectives carried out further enquiries, which indicated that the drugs were coming from London. In November 2018, officers from Dorset Police travelled to the Hampton area and conducted a warrant at an address. Ebrahimi was located inside the property with a mobile phone that was later found to have been operating using the phone number.
Riordan was also present at the address in London and subsequently arrested.
Detective Constable Declan Cummings, of Dorset Police, said: “This investigation saw officers compile evidence over a period of months to ensure these individuals could be brought to justice.
“We are committed to relentlessly pursuing criminals and officers are working hard, alongside partner agencies, to tackle county lines by targeting offenders, taking drugs off the streets and safeguarding vulnerable victims.
“Dorset Police has launched a new crackdown, called Operation Viper, aimed at crushing county lines drugs gangs operating in the county. The operation will see a dedicated team of police using intelligence and enforcement to rid Dorset of the scourge of county lines and make the region a hostile place for those dealing drugs and bringing misery on our residents.
“We fully recognise the detrimental impact the supply of drugs and drug-related activity has on our local communities and we will do all we can to identify those involved in the supply chain and take action against them.
“We hope this case sends out a clear message that drug dealing will not be tolerated in Dorset and we are dedicated to making it a hostile place for criminals.
“We are grateful for any intelligence from members of the public that can help us to disrupt the activity of these drugs gangs and would urge anyone with information to contact us at www.dorset.police.uk, via email [email protected] or by calling 101.”
David Sidwick, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset, said: “My thanks go to all the officers and staff involved in bringing this case to court. I’m delighted to see Dorset Police continuing to smash county lines drugs networks and break organised crime groups.
“I have made no secret that I want tough enforcement action taken when it comes to dealing with county lines and drug trafficking and Dorset now has its own dedicated and proactive Operation Viper which will target those who come to our county to deal drugs.
“Today, three more drug dealers are behind bars and I hope that their sentences serve as a warning to other criminals who think they can pedal their disgusting trade in our county.”
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