A trio of drug dealers has been put behind bars thanks to footage from the CCTV system at one of their homes.
“Incriminating footage” of Usman Yousuf, Mohammed Majeed and Azaan Tariq gave detectives an insight into their criminal enterprise in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
It shows Yousuf arriving at his home with Majeed and leaving with a large blue holdall which would later be dropped off at a shipping container in Rochdale.
Meanwhile, Tariq was recorded “coming and going” from Yousuf’s home with large and heavy carrier bags, police said.
At Manchester Crown Court on Friday, Yousuf, 31, was punished to 12 years in jail for his part in the operation.
Majeed, 30, was given nine years and ten months, and Tariq, 20, was given a three and four years term. The trio, all from Rochdale, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class-A drugs.
“Unfortunately for the trio, their movements had been captured by Usman Yousuf’s own CCTV cameras, incriminating them and giving police an insight into their criminal enterprise,” Greater Manchester Police said.
Three days after Yousuf was caught on camera with his big blue holdall on 22 July last year, police swooped in on his home.
Officers found receipts showing large cash deposits and drug paraphernalia “consistent with a large-scale drug operation,” GMP said.
Inside Yousuf’s car, police found food bags, scales bearing cocaine residue, £15,000 in cash and nine large bags of cocaine.
Three drug dealers from Rochdale have been jailed after a police investigation uncovered 23 kilos of cocaine and over £15,000 in cash.
Usman Yousuf, 31, Mohammed Majeed, 30, and Azaan Tariq, 20, were sentenced on Friday (26 May) at Manchester Crown Court following pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Yousuf was sentenced to 12 years in jail, Majeed to nine years and ten months, and Tariq to three years and four months.
Unfortunately for the trio, their movement had been captured by Yousuf’s own CCTV cameras, incriminating them, and giving police an insight into their criminal enterprise.
On Friday, 22 July 2022, at around 8 pm, CCTV footage showed Usman Yousuf arriving home with a large, heavy, blue holdall.
An hour later, Majeed was seen arriving at the same address, leaving with the blue holdall. Later that evening, he was seen dropping this bag at a shipping container in Rochdale.
On Monday, 25 July 2022, officers executed a warrant at Yousuf’s residence. In his car, officers discovered receipts showing large cash deposits and drug paraphernalia consistent with a large-scale drug operation, including food bags and scales bearing residues identified as cocaine.
Almost £15,000 cash and nine large bags of cocaine were also seized from his car. The search of his house uncovered more cash hidden away and multiple phones. In Yousuf’s house, officers were able to take the CCTV footage.
Later that evening, Majeed was seen leaving his house with the blue holdall and going to the shipping container. As he arrived home, officers arrested Majeed and began a search of his address. They discovered multiple phones and sim cards connecting him to this enterprise and over £500 hidden in a cushion.
The next day (Tuesday, 26 July 2022), officers executed a warrant at the shipping container that CCTV footage had caught the trio visiting. Inside, they found the sizeable blue holdall Usman Yousuf and Mohammed Majeed had been seen carrying the night before. The bag contained 23 kilograms of cocaine valued at around £700,000.
On Thursday, 28 July 2022, officers attended Azaan Tariq’s house. He’d been spotted on Yousuf’s CCTV camera coming and going from the property with large, heavy carrier bags. A search of the property led police to discover multiple hidden mobile phones and clothing, which matched the seized CCTV footage, placing him at Yousuf’s property on numerous occasions.
A subsequent examination of their mobile phones detailed their conversations, movements, and drug supply across Rochdale.
Detective Inspector Roger Smethurst of GMP Serious Organised Crime Group said: “Today’s sentencings come as a result of months of hard work by detectives who launched an investigation as part of GMP’s continued crackdown on drug supply in the region, which blights our local communities.
“Drugs on the streets can significantly affect communities and are often a catalyst for serious crime due to drug disputes. Today’s sentencings are another step toward disrupting severe organised crime and removing dangerous individuals from our streets.
“As always, we would ask anyone with information on drug supply in the community or anyone with concerns to please get in touch. Intelligence from members of the public continuously helps us with our ongoing investigations – no matter how small the information may seem.
