Rashid Hussain and his partner Szenm Asghar have been jailed following a major Greater Manchester Police (GMP) operation targeting drug dealers in Rochdale and Bury. The couple funded their lavish lifestyle by distributing Class A drugs on the streets.
Hussain received a prison sentence of 7 years and 6 months for possessing criminal property and dealing Class A drugs. Asghar was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months for the same offences.
GMP revealed that the pair spent tens of thousands of pounds on designer clothing, luxury vehicles, and even £3,000 on two cats. Their income was generated through the sale of heroin and crack cocaine.
On 7 December 2021, police raided Hussain’s home, where they seized digital scales, packaging materials, drug ledgers, and mobile phones. Text messages and voice notes recovered during the raid showed bulk marketing activities and boasts about their earnings. More than £20,000 in cash was found hidden around the property, with some notes openly displayed in the front room.
After Hussain was imprisoned, Asghar continued to operate the drug business, maintaining her designer lifestyle funded by the proceeds of drug dealing.
A second search in March 2022 at Asghar’s residence uncovered £15,000 in cash, 86 grams of heroin and crack cocaine, and 1 kilogram of phenacetin, a drug adulterant used to bulk up products. Ten mobile phones were also seized, many of which were used as a “drug hotline” under the slogan: “Sniper Line Active – Best Gear in Town.” Accounting notes detailed substantial weekly takings, with thousands of pounds regularly exchanged.
Detective Sergeant Gabe Gibson said, “Hussain and Asghar used the handle ‘Sniper’ to peddle their drugs across Rochdale. They shot themselves in the foot by leaving a wealth of evidence behind.”
He added, “Asghar enjoyed the spoils, taking over the operation after Hussain’s arrest to keep her lavish lifestyle alive. People like them won’t be tolerated here. We’ll keep hunting down drug traffickers relentlessly.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
