Three drug dealers who ran a County Lines drug network in the Stevenage area have been jailed for more than 13 years in total.

Following an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary's Operation Mantis team, three men were arrested for running a drug supply network from Birmingham into Stevenage between December 2020 – May 2021.

This County Line, known as the A1 line, was responsible for supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Stevenage and the surrounding areas.

In May 2021 police executed multiple warrants at addresses across the Birmingham area, arresting three men in the process.

More than £9,000 worth of crack cocaine and heroin was recovered, along with over £12,000 in cash during the operation. The men were charged the following day and remanded into custody.

The men appeared at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, January 7, after pleading guilty to conspiring to supply class A drugs at an earlier hearing in July 2021.

Naeem Ahmed, 25, of Warren Farm Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison

Abdullah Milash, 25, of Merryhill Drive, Birmingham, was sentenced to four years in prison

Alfie Eaves, 27, of Sinclair Court, Birmingham was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison.

Detective Constable Chris Cowell, from Hertfordshire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Command, said: "Ahmed and Milash ran the A1 line, which supplied drugs into the Stevenage area from Birmingham.

"The disruption of this line will make a significant impact on drugs use and associated crime in the county. It also sends a clear message that drug dealing will not go unpunished and anyone involved will be caught and jailed.

"Exploitation of vulnerable people is just one of the tragic symptoms of organised drug gangs. County Lines dealers can coerce people into providing a base for dealers to operate or to act as distributers themselves.

"They often use young people to handle drugs and money, drawing them deeper into gang affiliation that often leads to violence and abuse."