Five drug dealers from Birmingham and Solihull who ran the Foxy Line from the city have been jailed for a combined total of almost 40 years
Part of the Foxy Line drugs haul recovered by the County Lines Taskforce team
A county lines drugs operation being conducted from a sought-after Birmingham neighbourhood was uncovered after a phone check led to the discovery of a ‘safe house’.
West Midlands Police launched an investigation into the Foxy Line following the arrest of Jack Clark in 2023 as part of another drugs investigation.
Officers seized a phone from Clark and found a WhatsApp group called Foxy on it.
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The group had more than 2,000 people in it and the chat was used to advertise drugs, the cars delivering them and the pick-up locations.,
Phone data was analysed and it revealed regular contact between Clark, Ikram Hussain, Amar Khan and brothers Adil and Gohar Muhammed and their involvement in the Foxy Line.
Detectives carried out CCTV checks as part of the investigation, tracking the gang’s movements and that led them to a ‘safe house’ the group would use, an apartment in the Jewellery Quarter.
The Foxy Line’s (l to r) Ikram Hussain & Jack Clark
It was one of many ‘safe houses’ around Birmingham that were used to store and sort drugs.
A raid was carried out at the apartment on June 19 last year and Adil Muhammed was arrested and later charged with possession with intent to supply.
A large amount of cocaine was recovered, along with two mobile phones, cash and a handwritten ledger with names and values containing a debt list.
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In the carpark, Adil Muhammed’s brown Honda Jazz was found, with the same car often appearing on WhatsApp messages telling people to collect the drugs from.
Inside, officers found a card-reading machine.
One of the phones recovered from the safehouse was identified as the handset being used to host the Foxy Line.
Following Adil’s arrest, the rest of the group had the Foxy Line ported to another sim card so that business could be restarted.
But West Midlands Police ‘intensified’ its investigation, arresting Amir Khan following a pursuit.
His car was chased with traffic officers and the County Lines team close behind.
Cash, a knife and two phones were recovered.
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Clark was arrested after officers intercepted his taxi journey from one of the safe houses.
An iPhone was found and revealed to be the phone that was now hosting the Foxy Line.
Warrants were also carried out at the addresses of Adil and Gohar Muhammed, where more phones were recovered.
Data collected from all of the phones seized further incriminated the group.
Images promoting drugs for sale were found on the devices and GPS data from the photos revealed when and where the photos were taken.
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All five men pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and received the following prison sentences at Birmingham Crown Court last Friday (November 7).
They were:
Ikram Hussain, aged 29, of Bordesley Green, Birmingham – jailed for 12 years;
Adil Islam Muhammed, aged 20, of Forth Avenue, Bordesley Green – jailed for five years and seven months;
Gohar Muhammed, aged 29, also of Forth Avenue jailed for six years and nine months;
Amar Khan, aged 23, of Washwood Heath Road – jailed for nine years and six months and
Jack Clark, aged 25, of Kington Gardens, Solihull, put behind bars for six years, including a sentence for a separate drugs investigation.
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Detective Sergeant Gavin McGrath, from the County Lines Taskforce, said: “This group supplied drugs to thousands of people around Birmingham and Solihull and the value of drugs was estimated to have been worth around one million pounds.
“Following the arrest of Clark in relation to another drugs investigation, we were able to build a picture of this group, their movements, and their connections to one another.
“Some of the evidence we recovered was from the group incriminating themselves through video and photos, which was really helpful to our investigation.
“We welcome these sentences and hope it is a deterrent to those even thinking about getting involved in anything to do with drugs supply. We will find you and we will take action and get justice for our communities.
“We know County Line networks cause misery within our communities as drugs not only ruin lives but also fuel other crime. We’re working day in, day out, to bring down drug lines.”