A Bradford man who was part of a so-called “county lines” drug dealing operation has been jailed for more than five years for supplying cocaine and heroin in Harrogate.
In February 2019, Mohammad Khizer, 22, of Percival Street, Bradford, pleaded guilty at York Crown Court to three counts of possessing crack cocaine with intent to supply, one count of possessing heroin with intent to supply and one charge of dangerous driving.
He was jailed for 62 months on 26 April 2019, banned from driving for 67 months and ordered to take an extended driving test before he gets his licence back.
Over the course of 11 days in January 2019, Khizer was arrested three times by police in Harrogate.
On 11 January a Mercedes was seen driving through a red light on Oxford Street, officers stopped the car in which Khizer was the sole occupant. They became suspicious and carried out a search of the vehicle where they found a small amount of cocaine, £335 in cash and two mobile phones. He also failed a drugs test and was arrested, but released to allow for evidence to be gathered.
Six days later, officers reacted to a report of an Audi acting suspiciously in the Starbeck area and when they attempted to speak to the driver, it drove off at speed. The driver was Khizer. Officers pursued the vehicle through Harrogate area and the surrounding villages before bringing it to a stop on Skipton Road where they recovered 20 wraps of heroin and cocaine from the vehicle.
On 22 January, officers patrolling known drug hotspots in Harrogate stopped and searched three men who were on foot. One of the men was Khizer. After a search of both Khizer and a Volkswagen Passat parked nearby for which Khizer held the key, officers found 60 wraps of cocaine and heroin.
Khizer was subsequently charged with three counts of possessing cocaine with intent to supply, dangerous driving and possessing heroin with intent to supply and was remanded in custody prior to his first court appearance.
Investigating officer, PC Tom Bacon, of Harrogate police, said:
Not only did Khizer pedal the misery of cocaine and heroin in Harrogate, he also put numerous lives at risk by driving erratically through the town and surrounding area in an attempt to escape the police.
County lines drug dealing remains a key priority for North Yorkshire Police and we hope this latest sentence sends a clear warning of the consequences of getting drawn into what is a violent and dangerous world.
Members of the public are urged to report any suspicions they have that drug dealing is taking place in their neighbourhood. Particularly a practice known as cuckooing. This is where drug dealers take over the homes of vulnerable people and use them to store and sell drugs.
