Three Birmingham men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a drug line that flooded Weston-Super-Mare with heroin and crack cocaine, using the code words 'coffee and milk' to refer to the two class A drugs. The 'Chase line' became highly active in the summer of 2025, with an estimated 2,700 customers using the service, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Details of the operation
Zaheer Hussain, 27, of Knightstone Avenue, Jewellery Quarter; Safraz Ali, 27, of Grasmere Road, Handsworth; and Bashir Hassan, 20, of St Saviours Road, Saltley, were sentenced this week. All three claimed they had 'debts to pay' as a reason for their involvement. Ali held the drugs line in Birmingham, which was activated in April 2025 but dropped months later. Hassan travelled with drugs to resupply dealers, while Hussain collected cash from a drug user and dropped it off elsewhere.
Prosecutor Mr Dhami stated: 'After a slow start the line became very active. After that period at the end of July, there was minimal use and the number was dropped.' Hassan was in contact with class A drug users and made bookings with taxi companies in Weston-Super-Mare. A tick list on the Chase line showed who 'owed money'.
Sentencing and impact
Judge Walkling KC told the defendants: 'All of you were involved in significant roles, or significant to lesser roles, in a drug line operating in Weston-Super-Mare from Birmingham, conducting the sales of heroin and crack cocaine in the South West. Class A drugs do terrible damage to communities. Those who sell addictive class A drugs for their own profit are rightly punished with sentences of immediate custody.'
Hassan was jailed for six years, while Hussain and Ali each received five years and seven months. All three pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, crack cocaine and heroin. Hassan also pleaded guilty to robbery and aggravated vehicle taking.
Mitigation arguments
In mitigation, Ms De Redman for Hassan said: 'He fulfilled a role, he was the go-between, he was, in my submission, following instructions. He was the one who assumed the risk by travelling with the drugs to resupply the dealers. He was working off a debt which put him in a vulnerable position.'
Ms Chana for Hussain argued: 'He didn't set up the Chase line, it didn't belong to him. He states that, upon instruction, he was tasked to collect monies from [a drug user] for 2-3 months. His involvement came to an end because he has paid off a £600 debt and wanted nothing to do with the enterprise. He had no influence over anybody in the chain.'
Mr Sidhu for Ali said: 'This man became involved because he thought it would help him financially, then he was being forced to do this work. Any suggestion of leaving it or talk of paying off a debt, he was threatened, his family were threatened. Once someone is involved they are sucked in for their own personal benefit but also there is an element of fear. You can't just walk away whenever someone feels like it. He wasn't controlling the prices or the supply.'
