Makki Raja, an 18-year-old from Nottingham, has been sentenced to four years in a young offenders’ institute for running a brutal County Lines drug empire trafficking heroin and crack cocaine from Nottingham to Loughborough.
County Lines gangs use mobile phone lines to push Class A drugs from cities into smaller towns, exploiting vulnerable children and adults. Raja controlled a vicious network that trafficked two young boys from Nottingham to Loughborough to flood the streets with drugs.
The boys operated from an address on Victoria Street, Loughborough, delivering drugs to local users under Raja’s instructions. Raja paid them up to £200 a day and arranged taxis to transport them to and from Loughborough. Messages promoting the drugs were widely sent from Raja’s mobile phone, expanding the reach of the operation.
Raja’s accomplice, 33-year-old David Bellis of Queens Road, Loughborough, helped maintain the drug network. Bellis stayed at the Victoria Street base and directed the recruited boys to key drug-dealing locations around the town.
Evidence from mobile phones and videos was crucial in exposing the case. A 17-year-old boy was also involved, though his role was smaller and influenced by others. He participated in recruiting additional victims into the drug trade.
Following a police investigation that began in 2022, Raja, Bellis, and the 17-year-old appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, 12 February 2024. Raja pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, exploitation of a young person for trafficking, and cannabis supply. Bellis admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and facilitating exploitation. The 17-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and cannabis.
Raja received a four-year sentence at a young offenders’ institute. Bellis was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. The 17-year-old was given a three-year youth rehabilitation order and a three-month curfew, confining him to his home overnight.
This sentencing sends a clear message that County Lines gangs exploiting children and vulnerable adults will be pursued and punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Originally published by UKNIP.
