Man and woman jailed for a total of 11 years following Class A drugs bust in Rochdale

Date published: 28 November 2022

A Rochdale man and Bury woman who lived a life of luxury funded by flooding Rochdale with Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine have been jailed for a combined total of 11 years.

Rashid Hussain, 35, and his partner, Szenm, 37, appeared before Manchester Crown Court on Friday 25 November 2022.

Hussain received seven years and six months in prison after being found guilty of one count of possessing criminal property and two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

Asghar received three years and four months in prison after being found guilty of one count of possessing criminal property and two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

The court heard how the couple lived a luxurious lifestyle spending tens of thousands of pounds on designer clothes, cars and pets, with the purchase of two cats costing £3,000. Their lifestyle, however, was funded by flooding Rochdale with Class A drugs including heroin and crack cocaine.

During a raid at Hussain’s home on 7 December 2021, officers from the Rochdale district discovered various paraphernalia such as digital scales, packaging, drug debtor lists and numerous mobile phones, which when analysed were found to contain ‘marketing’ text messages sent out in bulk to their vulnerable customers, advertising their stock as well as voice notes of Hussain bragging about his income.

Over £20,000 in cash was also found hidden underneath beds with some brazenly on display in the front room.

Hussain was arrested and remanded in custody following the raid, leaving his partner Asghar to run the show. In the absence of her partner, Asghar continued to run the drugs line, keeping her own lucrative revenue stream active after becoming used to her designer lifestyle.

Following further investigation into the couple by GMPs Rochdale Challenger team, a second raid was executed at the home of Asghar in March 2022, where officers again discovered over £15,000 in cash, a total of 86g of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as 1kg of the painkiller ‘Phenacetin’, used to mix into drugs to increase volume.

A total of 10 mobile phones were also seized, several of which were used as a drug dealing hotline selling the drugs across Rochdale, using the tagline ‘Sniper Line Active – Best Gear in Town’.

Accounting notes found in the address showed that in a seven day period, £12,705 cash was received with another £7,755 received the following week. Another note stated ‘Paid 14 thousand cash on 28 September 2021, remaining balance is £11,000 by the end of 31 October 2021 to be paid.’

Detective Sergeant Gabe Gibson, of Rochdale’s Challenger Unit said: “Hussain and his partner Asghar used the handle 'Sniper' to peddle their drugs across Rochdale. However, in this case, they shot themselves in the foot by leaving a wealth of evidence to be recovered from their home addresses.

“Asghar was seemingly immersed into Hussain’s drug dealing world, but having enjoyed the proceeds of crime, wanted more. Asghar clearly benefitted from this illicit enterprise, possessing large amounts of cash, designer goods, taking over the drugs business herself after Hussain was remanded in custody, enabling her lifestyle to be maintained.

“People like Hussain and Asghar are not wanted on the streets of Rochdale, nor are other familiar individuals, who will face a similar fate when caught. Our work in Rochdale continues, and rest assured we will deliver on our commitment to the community to relentlessly pursue those engaged in drugs trafficking."

Anyone with information about the supply of drugs in their area are encouraged to contact police on 101 or by using the Live Chat service at www.gmp.police.uk