Luton drugs gang jailed for 14 years

Four drug dealers involved in a large scale cannabis network in Luton have been jailed for almost 14 years.

Bedfordshire Police seized more than £10,000 in cash as well as large amounts of cannabis as part of its Operation McCoy, which targeted an organised crime gang in the Biscot Road area of the town.

Umar Ali, 28, Abu Ali, 25, and Yusef Ali, 21, all of Biscot Road, Luton, and Anwaar Chaudhary, 22, of Norman Road, Luton, were sentenced at Luton Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.

Umar Ali was sentenced to four years and six months in prison; Yusuf Ali was jailed for three years and three months, while both Abu Ali and Anwaar Chaudhary received jail terms of three years.

“Dealing cannabis is increasingly being used as a ‘gateway’ by gangs and organised crime groups to exploit children and start them on a path of violence and exploitation that so many find it difficult to turn back from," she added.

In the last year, cannabis has accounted for 83 per cent of drug seizures in Bedfordshire, with 161 separate seizures of a total of 12,879 plants.