Three 'directors' of the Sully Line drugs conspiracy received up to £5,000 a day from street dealers, Bradford Crown Court heard this morning.

Fourteen people are being sentenced at a two-day hearing at Bradford Crown Court for their roles in the major “ring and bring” Sully Line drugs conspiracy.

Thirteen men and a woman, all but one from Bradford, were due in court this morning when prosecutor Rupert Doswell began outlining the case against them.

The defendants include three men that the Crown says were the directors of the street dealing ring that took 700 orders a day and had a turnover of up to £10 million in just over a year.

Other defendants are to be sentenced for supplying the drugs to the waiting users.

The “Sully Line” delivered heroin and crack cocaine in Bradford between July 15, 2017, and August 23 last year.

Addicts rang the line from phone kiosks and were supplied by a network of street dealers.

The operation had a turnover of at least £2.5 million, but the sum could be up to £10 million, with 200 kilos of drugs involved, Mr Doswell stated at an hearing.

The police investigation into the conspiracy involved 15 separate seizures of drugs in Bradford.

Officers saw a queue of addicts on North Avenue, Manningham, waiting to buy drugs from the line.

In January last year, the police searched an address in Lumb Lane, Bradford, that was being used to store the drugs. Officers seized 561 deals of Class A drugs valued at £3,500.

Listed for sentence are: Muhammed Asfan, 36, of Lynfield Drive, Heaton; Hareem Hussain, 22, of Charteris Road, Lower Grange; Mohammed Zahid, 27, of Manor Farm Gardens, Middleton, Leeds.

Tassawar Aslam, 34, of Victor Road, Heaton; Mohammed Rehman Ayaz, 29, of Quaker Street, Undercliffe; Mohammed Assan, 26, of Quaker Street.

Sheraz Mahmood, 31, of Airedale College Terrace, Undercliffe; Amir Rehman, 28, of Lumb Lane, Manningham; Malikai Hodgson, 21, of Springhead Road, Thornton.

Mujahid Mahmood, 28, of Hollins Street; Shazad Saleem, 41, of Duchy Drive, Heaton; Luqman Nazir, 28, of Farcliffe Place, Heaton; David Glen Coates, 35, of HMP Lancaster; Mohammed Vanid Khan, 45, of Cumberland Road, Lidget Green.

Mujahid Mahmood jumped bail part-way through his trial last month and was believed to have fled to Islamabad. He was convicted by the jury in his absence of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Prosecutor Rupert Doswell said that street dealers working for the Sully Line were handing up to £5,000 a day to its three directors.

The court heard that Mohammed Assan, Mohammed Ayaz and Tassawar Aslam had leading roles within the supply chain.

“Control of the Sully Line moved between the three of them. At various points, each was responsible for taking calls from drug users and then directing and controlling the other defendants, below them in the chain, to facilitate the exchange,” Mr Doswell said.

Amir Rehman acted as a storeman to assist in distributing drugs to the street dealers, keeping them supplied with cocaine and heroin to meet the ongoing demand, the court heard.

Mr Doswell said that Sheraz Mahmood was not involved in the dealing side of the conspiracy. He registered the main phone line and arranged for replacement SIM cards and call diverts to be put on the phone.

“He played his part in what was a well-oiled machine,” Mr Doswell stated.

The packed courtroom heard that Mujahid Mahmood, who had fled the country, was still on the run.

Mahmood was described as a “trusted lieutenant” within the conspiracy, asked on some occasions to answer the Sully Line phone and to direct the dealers.

Mr Doswell said that the remaining defendants were street dealers, usually operating in pairs out of different hire cars. One drove the vehicle while the front seat passenger held the drugs and cash and liaised with the lead conspirators who directed them where to go.

All the defendants, bar Mahmood, are remanded in custody.

This afternoon, barristers for the defendants began their speeches in mitigation.

Frida Hussain, barrister for Mohammed Ayaz, said there were those above him in the Sully Line chain of command. There was no evidence that he lived a lavish lifestyle or made any great wealth from his involvement.

Ayaz, who had no relevant previous convictions, had pleaded guilty to two offences of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, saving the need for a trial.

Miss Hussain said he had been the sole carer for his mother for the past five years and she would suffer greatly while he was in prison.

Ricky Holland, representing Tassawer Aslam, conceded that he was a “three strike” drug dealer.

He too had pleaded guilty to two offences of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Aslam had been in employment but returned to drug dealing when his hours were cut.

Like Ayaz, he was not at the top of the conspiracy. He was a cocaine user without copious amounts of money or multiple bank accounts.

Towards the end of the conspiracy, he was pressed into service to deal on the streets himself.

Aslam had taken courses while on remand in prison and was a listening ear for other inmates needing help, as well as working on the Prison Information Desk.

The case will resume at 10am tomorrow when barristers for the remaining 12 defendants will give their mitigation speeches ahead of sentencing.