Leeds county lines dealer jailed after investigation linked to fatal overdose
A man behind a county lines drug dealing phoneline which supplied crack cocaine and heroin to users in Leeds has been jailed for a decade following an investigation by specialist detectives.
Evidence linking 29-year-old Anas Hussain, from Bradford, to the drugs line was discovered by detectives after the death of a vulnerable drug user in Leeds.
The man, who was in his thirties, was found dead at his home in Beeston in February 2024. The coroner later concluded that his death was drug-related.
When detectives analysed the man’s phone, they discovered that he had been involved in supplying drugs through a ‘ring and bring’ phoneline, and that he appeared to have been exploited because of his drug dependency.
Following the findings, an investigation targeting serious and organised crime built up a comprehensive package of evidence which eventually linked Hussain to the line.
Hussain, of Crescent Walk, and two other men were arrested in Leeds city centre in January last year. The two other men remain under investigation.
He was found in possession of the main phone used for the drugs line along with 25 deals of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and £800 in cash. Raids at linked addresses uncovered evidence of Class A drugs being bagged up into smaller deals.
Hussain was subsequently charged with three counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs in relation to heroin, crack cocaine, and cocaine, three counts of possession with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property in relation to the cash found on him.
He pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court last week to a total of ten years and two months for these and other separate drugs offences in Leeds.
Detective Inspector Helen Chapman, who led the Operation Phoenix county lines investigation in Bradford, said Hussain’s role in running the drug line highlighted the tragic human cost of Class A drugs.
She added: “We hope the significant sentence he has received will provide some reassurance to the community and remind those who seek to profit from the supply of Class A drugs of the serious penalties they face.
“We will be continuing to take a proactive approach to targeting county lines drug dealing as part of the ongoing focus by the force’s dedicated taskforce Operation Phoenix, working closely alongside our Programme Precision and neighbourhood policing teams at our districts.”