Men who plagued area with 'Bob' drug line jailed

ORGANISED CRIME GROUP FLOODED TOWN WITH HEROIN AND COCAINE

- By SOPHIE CORCORAN

SIX men who flooded Dewsbury with hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of heroin and cocaine have been jailed.

The organised crime group worked under the “Bob” drug line, which provided class As to users in the area.

Prosecutor Sean Sullivan told Leeds Crown Court on Friday: “These six defendants were part of a criminal group operating out of Dewsbury, engaging in the supply of cocaine and heroin.”

West Yorkshire Police said the group had supplied £500,000 worth of drugs in the Dewsbury area.

The convicted members include: Istaker Salim, 39, of Speakers Court; Ahmed Hanif, 26, of Park Parade, Dewsbury; Zukariya Mayet, 43, of West Park Street, Dewsbury; Robert Dufton, 38, of Beckett Crescent; Ismael Shafiq, 34, of Ravenshouse Road; and Basharat Wali, 45, of Dorset Walk.

Mr Sullivan said: “They supplied these drugs through the ‘Bob line.’ It involved sending out messages to drug users, advertising the availability and price of cocaine and heroin. The line would communicate with members of the group to facilitate business they were engaged in.

“Between 25th of February 2023 and the 10th of December 2023, it was used for 60,000 calls and 24,000 text messages, despite that number no longer recording contact when a new number worked in tandem.”