Drugs gang jailed for more than 70 years

A gang who ran a network of drug dealers pumping cocaine into South Derbyshire have been jailed for more than 70 years.

The OCG, led by Albanian brothers Edmund and Edward Haziri, controlled the “Eddie line” drugs operation, which was found to have moved kilos of the class A drug into South Derbyshire, North-West Leicestershire and East Staffordshire.

A relative of the Haziri brothers, Gazmend Hoxha, would travel to London from his home in Leicester to pick up the drugs and drop off the proceeds of the sales, before heading back to the Midlands to resupply the gang’s numerous dealers.

Those dealers would sell the drugs – often wrapped in lottery ticket stubs – to as many as 145 customers a day, netting the gang hundreds of thousands of pounds over the course of a year.

But the OCG came crashing down in March last year, when a team led by Derbyshire detectives executed dawn raids across the country – arresting the Haziri brothers and their inner circle.

The operation included officers from Derbyshire Constabulary, Leicestershire Police and the Metropolitan Police Service, and was funded by the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre at the Home Office.

This weekend, we’ll be giving our followers an action-packed glimpse behind the scenes as all that work came together and we kicked off of our operation to bring the gang to justice.

And today, one of the final members of the gang – Razvan Manoliu – was sentenced at Derby Crown Court, bringing an end to their drug dealing empire.

Detective Inspector Kane Martin, who led the investigation, said: “The Eddie line was responsible for poisoning our streets with harmful drugs but the gang simply didn’t care about the damage they left behind.

“They reaped the rewards of their crimes, living lavish lifestyles in London and elsewhere, while the cocaine they pumped into the Midlands destroyed families and relationships.

“The Haziri brothers and their gang are now spending many years behind bars and I hope this sends a very clear message to anyone else involved in drug dealing: we will catch you, put your before the courts, and stop you from spreading misery and addiction in our communities.”

The gang members were charged with conspiring to supply cocaine and were all sentenced at Derby Crown Court to the following:

• Edmund Haziri, 36, of no fixed address – jailed for 15 years.
• Edward Haziri, 34, of Shardeloes Road, Lewisham, London – jailed for 15 years and six months.
• Grazmend Hoxha, 47, of Denis Close, Leicester – jailed for 11 years.
• Alban Krasniqi, 34, of Blackheath Hill, London – jailed for nine years.
• Samuel Stoica, 25, of Burton Crescent, Wolverhampton – jailed for eight years and three months.
• Simion Stoica, 22, of Jeremiah Road, Wolverhampton – jailed for three years and six months.
• Kristi Prifti, 23, of no fixed address – jailed for four years.
• Joshua Garrigan, 32, of Charnborough Road, Coalville – jailed for two years and eight months.
• Razvan Manoliu, 27, of Village Mews, Burton-upon-Trent – jailed for two years and eight months.
• Daniel Stavrat, 29, of no fixed address – due to be sentenced next month.