An investigation that began when an off-duty police officer is given a business card by a man driving a grey Audi that had ‘WEED, COKE, KET’ written on it has ended with five people being jailed for a combined 27 years
The vehicle is identified as belonging to Ikram Malique and a warrant was obtained for his home address. More than £3,000 in cash was recovered from Malique’s home.
A search of his vehicle found cannabis, MDMA, cocaine and ketamine inside it, alongside several business cards.
Examination of his phone showed numerous messages relating to the supply of drugs. Malique appeared to be both directing and being directed and messages appeared to go back as far as April 2021.
Also identified from his phone was a WhatsApp group chat entitled ‘The Nittys Gaff’, which contained the five men and another man who received a suspended prison sentence.
The chat discussed the renting of properties in and around the city centre of Manchester.
Due to the nature of the chat, it was suspected that the rented apartments were to be used as ‘stash’ addresses, where drug dealers keep their drugs and drug-related paraphernalia.
Detectives were then able to uncover several strands of criminal activity. Between August 2022 and January 2023, several warrants were executed at city centre apartments and across Manchester where large quantities of class A and B drugs were recovered, as well as several mobile telephones, drug paraphernalia including several digital scales, clean unused snap bags, numerous business cards advertising six different drug lines and more than £20,000 in cash.
Ismail Jeylani aged 23 of Beckhampton Close, Manchester was sentenced to four years 11 months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine and MDMA) and conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis and ketamine)
Peter Braxton Abdul also 23 of Morden Avenue, Manchester was sentenced to fours years 11 months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine and MDMA) and conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis and ketamine)
Ratil Habibullah,23 of Aston Avenue, Manchester was sentenced to eight years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine) and conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis and ketamine)
Mamadou Jallow aged 24 of Lynthorpe Road, Manchester was sentenced to four years 11 months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine and MDMA) and conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis and ketamine)
Ikram Malique aged 23 of Westman Drive, Manchester was sentenced to four years six months for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine and MDMA) and conspiracy to supply class B drugs (cannabis and ketamine)
Three other men received suspended sentences.
Detective Inspector Paul Ashton, of our Serious Organised Crime Group, said: “These sentencings are the culmination of a long investigation, in which our officers uncovered a web of organised criminal activity.
“The interesting aspect of this investigation was that the drug dealers distributed business cards with their phones numbers on, they were so brazen in their efforts and confident about not getting caught.
“Our officers found incriminating evidence on the phone of Jeylani, where he had filmed himself and others involved in these drug lines showing off wads of cash they had obtained from criminal means. He even parked outside police stations and gloated about his drug dealing activity.
“But by doing this, Jeylani ended up incriminating himself as we were able to use his video recordings against him.
“I’m glad that we have reached this point and taken five dangerous criminals off the streets of Manchester.
