Final member of North East organised crime gang locked up

Mohammed Rafiq was the eighth member of the organised crime gang to be jailed about three million tablets and £60,000 worth of heroin were discovered in storage units in Darlington and Stockton.

Police raided the units in April 2021 after a foiled kidnap plot led to the conspirators operating across the country.

The 46-year-old was jailed for eight years for his role in the well organised drug supply network brought down through Cleveland Police’s Operation Filton.

Mohammed Rafiq (Image: Cleveland Police)

Welcoming the sentence, temporary Detective Inspector Lyndsey Dale said: “This investigation and subsequent period of trials has been long and complex and it was undertaken by a dedicated small team of officers from Cleveland Police. Today is the final sentencing for the last defendant.

“The dedication of the investigation team ensured that a national drugs conspiracy linked to organised crime was identified and dismantled.

“Our focus has always been on protecting the public and preventing the detrimental impact of drugs on the communities of Cleveland.”

A drugs gang on Teesside has been sentenced to over 52 years for kidnap, firearms, and drug offences (Image: Cleveland Police)

Last year, six men and a woman were sentenced with a range of offences including kidnap, conspiracy to kidnap, the supply of Class A drugs and Class C drugs, and possession of an offensive weapon.

Sufy Mohamed, 20, of Stockton, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence, possession of an offensive weapon, conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class C drugs, concerned in the production class C drugs and possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to 12 years and nine months.

Some of the drugs paraphernalia found in a lock-up in Stockton (Image: Cleveland Police)

Alarsh Said, 28, of Liverpool, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

Yousef Muflahi, 26, from Liverpool, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, possession of a firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

See more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

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Jake Mosley, 21, of Stockton, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class C drugs and being concerned in the production of class C drugs. He was sentenced to seven years and six months.

Adnan Mohamed, 22, of Stockton, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class C drugs and being concerned in the production of class C drugs. He was sentenced to seven years and six months.

Michael Cornwell, 20, from Stockton, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs, conspiracy to supply class C drugs and being concerned in the production of class C drugs and possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to seven years.

Victoria Bryson, 42, of Stockton, was found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap, conspiracy to supply class C drugs, being concerned in the production of class C drugs and supply of class A drugs. She was sentenced to four years and six months.