Three Birmingham men have been jailed for their roles in a drug line operating in Weston-Super-Mare, which used code words 'coffee' and 'milk' to refer to crack cocaine and heroin. The 'Chase' line was estimated to have around 2,700 customers.
Mugshots released after sentencing
West Midlands Police released mugshots of Zaheer Hussain, 27, Safraz Ali, 27, and Bashir Hassan, 20, after they were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court last week. All three pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
Hassan also admitted robbery and aggravated vehicle taking. He was jailed for six years, while Hussain and Ali received sentences of five years and seven months each.
Judge's condemnation
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."
Roles in the drug line
The drug line was activated in April 2025 but was dropped months later. Ali, of Grasmere Road, Handsworth, held the drugs line in Birmingham. Mitigating for Ali, Mr Sidhu 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. He was there because there is a debt to be paid off."
Hassan, of St Saviours Road, Saltley, travelled with the drugs to resupply dealers. The court heard there was a tick list on the Chase line showing who 'owed money'. Mitigating for Hassan, Ms De Redman 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."
Hussain, of Knightstone Avenue, Jewellery Quarter, was tasked with collecting cash from a drug user and dropping it off elsewhere. Mitigating for Hussain, Ms Chana said: "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."
