Attique Rafiq and Mohammed Miah jailed for drug dealing

Attique Rafiq and Mohammed Yaseen Miah, both 29, ran two "county lines" operations, broadcasting messages to Scarborough drug users for two months during the pandemic.

But detectives intercepted the messages and tracked them back to the two Bradford men and arrested them. They also arrested the 25-year-old woman Hannah MacKenzie, 25, the pair used as a street dealer in the North Yorkshire seaside resort.

The trio were caught as part of Operation Expedite, the long-running county-wide campaign against drug dealing.

Rafiq, of Folkestone Street, Bradford, was jailed for nine and a half years at Hull Crown Court.

Miah, of Heath Terrace, Bradford was jailed for three and a half years at York Crown Court earlier this year on the same day that MacKenzie, now of Beaverbank Place, Edinburgh, was given a 16-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

All three were convicted of conspiracy to supply heroin and conspiracy to supply cocaine in June and July 2021.

Detective Constable Darrel Temple, who led the investigation that put the two men behind bars, said: “Through detailed analysis of the phone data, we were able to determine that the deal-lines were being operated by Rafiq and Miah.

“We also established that they were using MacKenzie as a street dealer in Scarborough.

“We were able to detect and dismantle another ‘County Line’ whose Class A drugs would bring nothing but misery to our communities.

“Securing the guilty pleas and significant prison sentences is very satisfying to everyone involved in the case.”

Police revealed afterwards the operation against the two men were supported by Project Alliance which brings together the police, our local councils, fire service, community safety partnerships, health bodies, Revenue and Customs and other important partners and agencies, who share information, intelligence and expertise to help tackle serious organised crime in North Yorkshire.