Drug Dealer Jailed for 4½ Years in Major County Lines Bust
Crackdown on County Lines Crime
Shoaib Shafique, 22, from Clarence Road, has been slapped with a 4½-year prison sentence at Huntingdon Crown Court. He pleaded guilty to dealing crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, and possessing criminal property.
Operation Hypernova Strikes Again
Shafique is the latest to fall in the ongoing Operation Hypernova – a fierce police campaign targeting drug gangs and exploitation. Officers raided his home in the early hours of 14 September and found a mobile phone tying him to Class A drug dealing.
County Lines Crime Exposed
Detective Constable Jacob Reeves revealed Shafique was running a drug empire across Cambridgeshire. Police tracked his movements between Birmingham and Cambridgeshire from November 2021 to September 2022, proving his role in the county lines network.
“Through his movements and the text messages that had been sent from his phone we could prove Shafique was responsible for running a criminal enterprise across Cambridgeshire,” said DC Reeves. “County lines bring misery to our communities in the form of drug dealing, exploitation and violence.”
More Than £600,000 Worth of Drugs Seized
The wide-reaching operation involved the Metropolitan Police, British Transport Police, and Eastern Regional Specialist Operation Unit. Together, they shut down 33 county lines, seizing crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin, and cannabis worth over £600,000.
- Hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash seized
- Vehicles, jewellery, and clothing assets confiscated
- Several weapons taken off the streets
Operation Hypernova continues to hit hard against drug gangs, safeguarding communities from the scourge of county lines violence and exploitation.
