The faces of 10 of the men who were part of a group who sought to flood Accrington and Rossendale with class A drugs can now be shared after police released their custody photos.

The group, who were headed up by “mastermind” Waqaas Khan from his prison cell, were jailed for a combined total of almost 55 years on February 23.

The offending related to Operation Supercharger, launched by Lancashire Police’s East Exploitation Team two years ago after a boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in Rossendale in possession of drugs, £1,000 in cash, and a machete.

Lancashire Telegraph: Waqaas KhanWaqaas Khan (Image: Lancashire Police)

All 12 of the defendants sought to supply class A drugs in the Accrington and Rossendale areas between September 2022 and June 2023.

The group was directed and coordinated by Waqaas Khan, who was serving time in prison for separate offences, using an illicit mobile phone.

Jamie Baxter, prosecuting, said Khan “continued to control the operation and flow of drugs into East Lancashire, passing instructions to those acting on his behalf.”

Judge Ian Unsworth, addressing Khan as he began sentencing, said he provided the “knowledge, influence, and contacts to mastermind this further operation.”

READ MORE: Accrington and Rossendale drugs gang jailed for 54 years

Addressing the whole group, Judge Unsworth said: “Each of you engaged to differing degrees in a business that peddles misery for users, their families, and their communities.

“They have to suffer the appalling effects of crime, degradation, and misery it brings to those caught in its wake.

“This case is depressingly familiar. It’s clear the ripple effects of this business and your involvement in this devastating and sometimes deadly trade spreads far and wide.”

The sentences were as follows:

  • Waqaas Khan, 30, of no fixed address – 10 years and six months
  • Ibrahim Khan, 21, of College Street, Accrington – Five years and 11 months
  • Waqaar Khan, 27, of College Street, Accrington – Five years and 11 months
  • Sameer Hussain, 21, of Wheatholme Street, Rawtenstall – Five years and 11 months
  • Hamza Munir, 25, of College Street, Accrington – Five years and four months
  • Lee Thomas, 43, of Fallbarn Crescent, Rawtenstall – Four years
  • Hamza Anwar, 25, of Garbett Street, Accrington – Four years, minus 130 days remand
  • Basha Ulla, 37, of Richmond Hill Street, Accrington – 15 months
  • Martin Magee, 44, of Carr Road, Rawtenstall – Five years and two months, previous community order revoked
  • Peter Bell, 41, of Kenyon Street, Manchester – Four years
  • Thomas Linford, 25, of Claremont Terrace, Glasgow – 45 months
  • Muhammad Israeel, 18, of Wheatholme Street, Rawtenstall – 12-month youth rehabilitation order