Eight Members of Drugs Gang Handed Serious Crime Prevention Orders

Eight members of a drugs gang which flooded the eastern region with crack and heroin will be made subject of Serious Crime Prevention Orders (SCPOs) aimed at stopping them re-offending on their release from prison.

The eight, along with another man and a teenage boy, were previously sentenced to a total of more than 50 years in January for their roles setting up a supply chain of the drugs from a London base into Norwich, Ipswich, Luton and Bedford.

The SCPOs, which were secured by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) will restrict their activities for up to five years each following their release from prison.

Any breach of the order would constitute an additional criminal offence which could carry a sentence of up to five years. The terms of the order are as follows:

• Not to own more than one mobile telephone at any time, and to notify ERSOU of the make, model and telephone number of any device they do possess
• Not to own or control any more than one car or other vehicle at any time, and to notify ERSOU of the make, model, registration and insurance details of any vehicle they do possess
• Not to have possession of cash greater than £500 in value, in any currency, without first notifying ERSOU
• To notify ERSOU of any change of name or address

The terms were drafted to take account of the sophisticated way the group operated, using numerous telephones and vehicles to control their drugs empire, and using mainly cash for their transactions to stay below the radar of law enforcement.

Abdi Sugulle, 20, Mahad Hassan, 29, and Harry Levett, 20, lived in executive apartments in Westminster, London Bridge and Kew where they masterminded the elaborate ‘county lines drug supply’.

The gang used expensive hire cars to transport the drugs across the eastern region where they would be supplied to drug dealers.

Head of the group, Sugulle would orchestrate the supply lines from his London base. Call data showed he handled around 60,000 calls in just six months.

Below him in the chain were Hassan and Levett, his trusted ‘lieutenants’ who controlled the supply of drugs from safe houses across London.

The rest of the group were utilised to deliver drugs to further safe houses at the dealer locations in Norwich, Ipswich, Luton and Bedford while also collecting substantial sums of cash - the proceeds from the sale of the drugs.

ERSOU conducted a covert investigation into the crime group with support from Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies and the Metropolitan Police. The investigation culminated in the seizure of 36,500 individual wraps of heroin and crack cocaine with an estimated street value of £360,500, an imitation Uzi sub-machine pistol and £61,755 in cash.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Balmer said: “These orders reflect not only the seriousness of the crimes these men were convicted for but also the lengths ERSOU will go to when protecting the public.

“Criminals who either live in, or come to, the East of England should be in no doubt that we will find them and prosecute them, and when we do we will use the full force of the law to prevent the misery they bring to our region.

“These powerful orders are a measure of the disgust the public has for those who bring misery and violence to our streets through the scourge of drugs, and we will continue to use legislation like this to protect society from harm.”

Details of original sentence and length of SCPO:

• Abdi Sugulle, 20, from Southwark, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to seven and a half years in prison. Five year SCPO
• Abdi Nurr, 20, from Brentford, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to six years in prison. Three year SCPO
• Mahad Hassan, 29, from Plumstead, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to six years and four months in prison. Five year SCPO
• Jama Adam, 25, from Abbeywood, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to six and a half years in prison. Four year SCPO
• Shafic Ali, 27, from Woolwich London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to seven years and three months in prison. Five year SCPO
• Ali Haji, 26, from Woolwich, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to seven years in prison. Three year SCPO
• Harry Levett, 20, from Brentford, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to five years in prison (consecutive to an existing sentence). Two year SCPO
• Spencer Muskia, 19, from Thamesmead, London - conspiracy to supply class A (heroin and crack cocaine) - sentenced to four years in prison (consecutive to an existing sentence). Two year SCPO