UPDATE: |Man ‘thought he could outsmart the law’ in £650k heist, now he’s in jail for years News

Azad Yaqub has been jailed

A drug dealer who ‘thought he could outsmart the law’ failed and landed himself back in court. Azad Yaqub has been jailed after supplying heroin and cocaine using an encrypted chat platform.

A court heard how, in 2020, 41-year-old Yaqub was using two different encrypted devices where he was in conversation with a number of other people regarding the supply of drugs.

Encrypted chats are often used by Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) for their communications to supply drugs and weapons, as they try to go about their illicit dealings undetected, Greater Manchester Police said.

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Initially, Yaqub was operating under the handle ‘blackelf’ from March to April 2020, before he changed his handle to ‘thanks.com’ between May and December 2020, the court heard.

But an investigation commenced and data extracted from both devices linked Yaqub to both the profiles. An examination of the devices revealed the criminal activities of him and his close associates relating to the supply of drugs.

Yaqub was subjected to a Serious Crime Prevention Order following a previous conviction in 2014 for supplying heroin in Cambridgeshire, West Yorkshire. The SCPO required Yaqub to only be in possession on one phone and to provide the number of that device to the relevant police force when requested.

It was revealed that Yaqub had a device that was using an unregistered number, which alerted detectives to suspicious activity, and an investigation was launched.

The investigation revealed that that during the life of both handles, approximately 38.5 kilos of heroin had been acquired and four kilos of cocaine, which equates to approximately £650,000 in wholesale value.

Yaqub, of Silverhill Road in Bradford, pleaded guilty to supplying heroin and cocaine, and was sentenced to seven years and four months in prison at Bradford Crown Court on April 11.

Detective Constable Paul Ashton, from Greater Manchester Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Group , said: “Yaqub thought he could outsmart the law and use encrypted chat platforms to supply vulnerable drug users with class A substances to make significant profits for himself.

“Criminals like this have no regard for others in the community and are only out for their own gain, leaving a path of misery and destruction in their wake.

“I am pleased with this sentence and hope that our residents feel reassured that we will relentlessly seek to bring those responsible to justice and keep our communities safe. I’d like to say thank you to those who continue to support us and submit intelligence – this plays a vital part in our investigations.”

If you are concerned about criminal activity within your area, you can report this directly on 101 or by reporting information using the online report tool at www.gmp.police.uk. Alternatively, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

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