Shoaib Shafique, 22, of Clarence Road, Peterborough, has been sentenced to 4½ years in prison at Huntingdon Crown Court for his involvement in county lines drug dealing. Shafique pleaded guilty to charges including dealing crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, and possessing criminal property.
The conviction is part of the ongoing Operation Hypernova, a robust police campaign aimed at dismantling drug gangs and preventing exploitation linked to county lines crime.
Police officers raided Shafique’s home in the early hours of 14 September, where they discovered a mobile phone that connected him to Class A drug dealing activities.
Detective Constable Jacob Reeves explained that Shafique was operating a drug empire across Cambridgeshire. Investigations tracked his movements between Birmingham and Cambridgeshire from November 2021 to September 2022, confirming his role within the county lines network.
“Through his movements and the text messages that had been sent from his phone we could prove Shafique was responsible for running a criminal enterprise across Cambridgeshire,” said DC Reeves. “County lines bring misery to our communities in the form of drug dealing, exploitation and violence.”
The extensive operation involved collaboration between the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, and the Eastern Regional Specialist Operation Unit. Together, they successfully shut down 33 county lines and seized crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis with a combined street value exceeding £600,000.
In addition to drugs, hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash were seized, along with vehicles, jewellery, clothing, and several weapons removed from the streets.
Operation Hypernova continues to deliver significant blows to drug gangs, protecting communities from the harmful impacts of county lines violence and exploitation.
Originally published by UKNIP.
