Drug dealers took over homes in Bolton to ply their trade

The dealers were caught when one of the householders, terrified after seeing weapons in his home, went to police.

Officers then raided the flat in Emmanuel Place, Bolton, where there was an attempt to flush drugs down the toilet. Scales and drug packaging equipment was found along with mobile phones, machetes, knives, shotgun cartridges and heroin.

Maria Brannan, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court how Craig Booth went to police after a Somali man called at his home and gave him drugs.

After four days Mr Booth became concerned as other men were also staying at his home.

“They gave Mr Booth drugs to keep him quiet. He asked them to leave but they wouldn’t,” said Miss Brannan.

“He was concerned - he saw shotguns and cartridges. He was frightened and so on June 22, 2019, he reported the matter to police.”

Later when police raided the property, they found four men inside, including 27-year-old Mahad Muumin and Guled Ahmed, aged 22.

Guled Ahmed

One of the mobile phones found had a Sim card using a phone number which police recognised as a drugs line.

“It was known to police to be operating to supply heroin and crack cocaine throughout the Bolton area,” said Mrs Brannan.

In Muumin’s underwear police found £900 and a further £110 in his trouser pocket.

Mahad Muumin

Both Muumin and Ahmed were released on bail but on February 20, 2020, police raided a house in Gilnow Lane, Bolton and arrested four men, including Muumin and 21-year-old Hajir Salad.

Cash, phones and packaging equipment were found along with a suitcase containing crack cocaine and heroin worth up to £2,422. A mobile phone at the house was constantly ringing with messages from people wanting to buy drugs.

The court heard the following month police went to Great Lever Park after reports of cars loitering and dealing drugs.

When officers pursued a Ford Focus, a package was thrown out of a passenger window. Hajir Salad was the front seat passenger and had £475 on him plus cannabis.

In the discarded package were crack cocaine and heroin.

Salad was seen again by police on May 19 and 22, 2020, repeatedly going in and out of a property in Spinners Mews, Bolton, to sell drugs in the School Hill area.

In the early hours of June 25, 2020, police raided the Spinners Mews property and found the occupant, 49-year-old Lee Bowker.

Muumin, of Oxford Grove, Bolton, Ahmed, of Holland Street, Liverpool, Salad, of Torrington Avenue, Bolton and Bowker, of Spinners Mews, Bolton, all pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.

“This was an organised operation and aggravated by the fact they took over the address of a vulnerable male in order to deal from that address,” said Miss Brannan.

Ronan Maguire, defending Muumin, said he came to the UK with his family when he was aged eight and had been doing well academically until he dropped out of university in his second year and worked in takeaways instead.

He increasingly began to use harder drugs, got in debt and began dealing himself. But he added that he is now drug free and “has potential”.

Claire Jones, for Ahmed, said he lacks maturity but is genuinely remorseful for his behaviour.

Kevin Liston, for Salad, said he was vulnerable and unemployed when he was recruited into dealing by others.

Recorder Andrew Long sentenced Muumin to 45 months in prison, Salad to 42 months and Ahmed to 32 months.

He told them: “ You were all involved in what was an enterprising drug supply outfit in 2020 and were involved to a greater or lesser extent. You knew if you got caught you would go to prison and I am afraid that is exactly what is going to happen.”

Bowker was given a two-year suspended prison term and ordered to participate in drug rehabilitation plus 10 days of rehabilitation activities.

Recorder Long told him: “You were at least, in part, a victim of this offence in that some of your co-defendants began to use your premises for the supply of drugs — an activity you would not otherwise have become involved in.”