Five men jailed for County Lines drug operation in Birmingham
Group sentenced for transporting and selling Class A drugs worth over £730k
Last updated 24th May 2026
Five men have been sentenced for their involvement in a large-scale County Lines drugs operation running through Birmingham, resulting in the sale of Class A drugs valued at over £730,000.
Akbar Tareq, Ihsan Mahmood, Muzammel Rehman, Adil Shah, and Shirajul Miah admitted their roles in transporting and selling heroin and crack cocaine to numerous buyers across the city.
This operation was uncovered by the County Lines Taskforce investigating the Silver/Silva drugs line, known for reaching hundreds of clients by advertising through mass messaging.
Investigators used intelligence gathered through detailed inquiries to identify each participant’s role in the conspiracy.
In March 2024, a firearms warrant initiated searches at a Birmingham city centre apartment, where officers discovered large amounts of packaged crack cocaine and heroin distributed around the premises.
In May of the same year, another search led to the arrest of Miah during a car stop in Shirley, further exposing quantities of heroin.
With over 95,000 calls associated with the drugs line, officers were able to piece together the operation's extent, leading to the arrests throughout 2024.
Sentences
The men received varying sentences based on their level of involvement:
Adil Ali Shah, 27, jailed for seven years and nine months.
Akbar Tareq, 28, jailed for eight years and 11 months.
Ihsan Mahmood, 23, jailed for six years and nine months.
Muzammel Rehman, 25, jailed for seven years.
Shirajul Miah, 52, jailed for two years and eight months.
While Tareq and Shah organised and managed the drugs line, Rehman and Mahmood managed operations at lower levels, with Miah predominantly operating as a driver.