Jailed: West Midlands drugs gang who used 'safehouse' in Birmingham's Jewellery Quarter locked up for more than 35 years
Five people have been jailed for more than 35 years after police shut down a drugs line in the West Midlands which had been active for more than four years.
Ikram Hussain, Jack Clark, Amar Khan and brothers Adil and Gohar Muhammed have all been jailed following a West Midlands Police investigation into the ‘Foxy’ line which supplied cocaine across Birmingham and Solihull worth around £1m.
The investigation was launched following the arrest of Clark in 2023 as part of another drugs investigation.
A phone seized from Clark was analysed and a WhatsApp group chat called ‘Foxy’ was discovered.
The group had more than 2,000 people in it and was used to advertise drugs, the cars delivering them and the pick-up locations.
Analysis of phone data revealed regular contact between Clark, Hussain, Khan, Adil and Gohar Muhammed and their involvement in the group and line.
As part of the investigation, detectives carried out CCTV enquiries which pieced together the group’s movements leading them to a ‘safehouse’ that they would use in the Jewellery Quarter.
This was one of many such properties around Birmingham that were used to store and sort drugs.
On June 19 last year a warrant was carried out at the apartment. Adil Muhammed was arrested from there and later charged with possession with intent to supply.
A large amount of cocaine was recovered, along with two mobile phones, cash and a ledger with handwritten names and values in a 'debt list'.
In the car park, Adil Muhammed’s brown Honda Jazz was found, the same car that often came up in messages telling people to collect drugs from. Inside officers found a card reading machine.
One of the phones recovered from the safehouse was identified as the handset being used to host the ‘Foxy’ line.
Following Adil Muhammed's arrest, the rest of the group had the line ported to another SIM card so business could resume.
As the police investigation intensified, Khan was arrested following a pursuit in his car with traffic officers and the County Lines team. Cash, a knife and two phones were recovered.
Clark was arrested after officers intercepted his taxi journey from one of the safe houses. An iPhone was found and revealed to be the phone that was now hosting the ‘Foxy’ line.
Warrants were also carried out at the addresses of Adil and Gohar Muhammed where more phones were recovered.
Data collected from all of the phones seized further incriminated the group. Images promoting drugs for sale were found on the devices and GPS data from the photos revealed when and where the photos were taken.
All five men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and received the following prison sentences at Birmingham Crown Court:
Hussain, aged 29, of Bordesley Green was sentenced to 12 years
Adil Islam Muhammed, aged 20, of Forth Avenue, Birmingham was sentenced to five years and seven months
Gohar Muhammed, aged 29, also of Forth Avenue, Birmingham was sentenced to six years and nine months
Khan, aged 23, of Washwood Heath Road, Birmingham was sentenced to nine years and six months
Clark, aged 25, of Kington Gardens, Solihull, was sentenced to six years, which included one for the separate drugs investigation
Detective Sergeant Gavin McGrath, from the County Lines Taskforce, said: “This group supplied drugs to thousands of people around Birmingham and Solihull and the value of those was estimated to have been worth around one million pounds.
“Following the arrest of Clark in relation to another drugs investigation, we were able to build a picture of this group, their movements, and their connections to one another.
“Some of the evidence we recovered was from the group incriminating themselves through video and photos, which was really helpful to our investigation.
“We welcome these sentences and hope it is a deterrent to those even thinking about getting involved in anything to do with drugs supply. We will find you and we will take action and get justice for our communities.
“We know County Line networks cause misery within our communities as drugs not only ruin lives but also fuel other crime. We’re working day in, day out, to bring down drug lines.”
