Drug dealer stopped with crack cocaine and sawn-off shotgun jailed

A Luton drug dealer who was stopped in a stolen vehicle with drugs and a firearm has been jailed for seven years.

Zain Jaffery, 25, was sentenced on Monday (March 26) for playing a 'significant role' in the operations of the 'Face' county drug line.

Bedfordshire Police launched an investigation after the vehicle Jaffery was driving was stopped by officers in August 2022, after it was flagged as being on false plates.

A search of the vehicle, which had been stolen during a burglary in Derbyshire a month prior, led to officers finding a sawn-off shotgun, 10 rounds of ammunition, cash, various number plates and several mobile phones.

Jaffery, of Limbury Road, Luton, was found in possession of 150 individual wraps of crack cocaine and heroin.

Along with Jaffery, Aaryarn Afzal, 18, of Grantham Road, Luton, and a teenage boy who cannot be named for legal reasons, were also in the car.

Following a forensic examination of phones seized from the car's occupants and receipt of further intelligence, a warrant was executed at an address in Luton later that year.

There, officers seized a large amount of crack cocaine and knives.

Ali Kolliari, 62, was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of class A drugs.

During a two-week trial at Luton Crown Court, the jury were presented with videos from the phones showing one of the gang members in a wooded area firing the recovered shotgun.

Detectives also found numerous messages that revealed the gang's drug enterprise.

One message, reading "ON BANGING W AND B 3FR20 4FR25 5FR30 !!!!!SKRAPZ O" was sent to more than 120 contacts across Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire in less than three minutes.

Experts told the court that the coded messages indicated to recipients that the gang members were available for orders and offering 'good quality' crack cocaine, as referenced by 'w' and heroin which was referred to as 'b'.

The convicted dealers went as far as detailing promotional prices, offering three, four and five wraps of the illicit drugs for £20, £25 and £30 respectively.

Jaffery, who was convicted earlier this month after a jury found him guilty of being in possession of a firearm without a license, was sentenced to five years' imprisonment.

He previously pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and received a two year and four-month sentence which will be served consecutively.

Kolliari, of Mixes Hill, Luton, received a 12-month community order and £200 fine after pleading guilty to the misuse of premises for the supply of drugs.

Afzal pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and received an 18-month community order. He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work as part of his sentence.

The teenage boy was sentenced to three years in a young offender's institution, after he was convicted of being in possession of a firearm without a license and conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

They join three other fellow gang members who were sentenced in April 2023, including:

• Ayaz Khan, 20, of Someries Hill, who was stopped in Luton in possession of class A drugs and a large knife, and was sentenced to four years, six months' imprisonment
• Ronaldo Lewis, 25, of Park Street, Luton, was sentenced to four years, six months for two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• Lewis Howlett-Carpenter, 20, of Park Side, Oxford, who was jailed for two years and ordered to undertake 100 hours unpaid work for his role in the county lines operation

Detective Constable Adam Cave, investigating, said: "This has been a lengthy investigation that has successfully seen five dangerous drug dealers jailed, removed lethal weapons from our streets and dismantled a county drugs line.

"Information provided by a community that has joined us in taking a stand against illegal drug dealing was vital to the investigation, and this case is an excellent example of an intelligence-led operation targeting those looking to cause harm in our towns.

"I would like to continue to urge residents to raise the alarm around suspicious activity. Your reports make a huge difference, not only to us identifying criminals but also to putting them behind bars."