Drug dealing duo from Bedford jailed and £50,000 of crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis seized

Two Bedford men have been jailed as part of an operation that has seen more than £50,000 worth of illegal drugs seized, as Bedfordshire Police continues to strike against county lines gangs.

Amir Ghafoor, 30, of Bunyan Road, and Ussman Zafar, 30, of Oldfield Road, received more than six years in jail terms after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Extensive work from officers in Bedfordshire Police’s intelligence, community and crime teams led to Ghafoor and Zafar being linked to the G Man line, a drugs line responsible for the sale of Class A drugs in Bedford.

A targeted operation against the G Man county line resulted in the seizure of more than £2,000 in cash, as well as cannabis with a potential street value of up to £22,610, crack cocaine with a potential street value of up to £8,500 and heroin with a potential value of £21,120.

The £2425.21 cash seized has been donated to YouTurn Futures, a charity that helps tackle exploitation and serious youth violence in Bedfordshire.

The pair were sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Tuesday (July 20). Ghafoor received three years and nine months, and Zafar received two years and seven months.

“This is one of the many successful crackdowns we have launched against county lines in recent times, and we understand that we face a significant challenge from organised crime in the county.

“Our communities should be assured that we are on the front foot in driving it down and working towards making our county safer.”

Detective Chief Inspector Louisa Glynn, Bedfordshire Police’s tactical lead for imported county lines, added: “In the past few weeks we have achieved some excellent results in tackling county lines and illicit drug activity, as we continue to disrupt the organised criminal networks operating in and around Bedfordshire.

“County lines drug gangs typically target children and young people and coerce or exploit them into carrying drugs and weapons across the county. These children may face extreme violence and intimidation as well as ‘debt bondage’, where gangs will arrange for the young runner to get robbed so they are in the gang’s debt.

“This is why it is so important we continue to work alongside our partners to help people who are vulnerable to this exploitation to support them, as well as targeting these drugs gangs and disrupting their activities.”

Anyone with information about drug dealing, county lines or child criminal exploitation can contact Bedfordshire Police on 101 or via the force’s online reporting centre.

All of these reports are fed into police intelligence systems and can help officers build up a better picture of organised crime.

You can also report information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

For more information or support about getting out of a gang, please visit bedsveru.org