A gang who conspired to flood the streets with almost £60,000 of cocaine have been jailed today at Manchester Crown Court Crown.
Elvis Hasanaj aged 22, of Kielder Square, Salford was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy to supply class A drugs,Paula Tabacaru aged 23, of Trinity Edge, St Marys Street, Salford was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for conspiracy to supply class A drugs and gaining from the proceeds of crime and Kamer Mici aged 26 of no fixed abode was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
The three were arrested when officers from GMP’s Challenger Manchester team searched properties across Salford and Manchester as part of a borough-wide crackdown on drug supply back in April this year.
A search of a property on St Marys Street, Salford, lead to the recovery of cocaine with a street value of £57,000 and over £36,000 in cash.
Further searches of properties on Carlton Avenue, Rusholme, and Kielder Square, Salford, unearthed cocaine with a street value of £550 and two illegal over stayers who have since been deported.Officers also recovered a debt list totalling over £110,000.
The court heard that Tabacaru was in charge of a drugs phone line that took orders from users and utilised Mici and Hasanaj as street runners to conduct deals around the City Centre.
Police Constable Paul Halliwell, of GMP’s Challenger Manchester team, said: “The dru
gs trade spreads despair and destroys lives and we will not tolerate anyone who tries to flood our streets with this menace.
“People have told us they want us to tackle the issue of drugs and this action was taken as a result of community concerns.
“I hope this sentence shows that we take drug dealing incredibly seriously and we will relentlessly pursue and dismantle anyone who seeks to profit from misery.”
