A gang member is led away by police officers during a raid which found a stash of cocaine worth up to £1.1million – DERBYSHIRE POLICE/SWNS
A compelling crime story comes from the investigation of a ten-strong crew led by Edmund Haziri, 36, and his younger brother Edward, 34. The group was arrested on March 23 last year for participating in an extensive drug network that operated across the Midlands. They were moving kilos of cocaine into South Derbyshire, North West Leicestershire, and East Staffordshire. Police became aware of the gang after a Police Community Support Officer noticed a vehicle acting suspiciously in Swadlincote and alerted detectives.
Infiltrating the network, officers discovered a DIY casino with poker and blackjack tables in the basement of a business premises linked to the gang during one raid. Another raid in London uncovered a phone thrown out of a window at the home of gang member Alban Krasniqi. This phone was believed to hold the key to the group’s county lines operation known as the “Eddie Line”.
One of the more unusual discoveries came from bodycam footage of a raid on a flat. Officers noticed a large poster of Al Pacino’s villainous character Tony Montana from the movie Scarface by the door.
But the most puzzling part came when police found the mobile phone locked with a six-digit passcode. They believed the phone would provide evidence of the “Eddie line”, but they had only a limited number of attempts to enter the correct passcode. After trawling through surveillance footage, police reconstructed the passcode based on the gang member’s contactless purchase in a convenience store.
The mobile phone proved to be the treasure trove detectives hoped for, revealing drug orders, drop locations, dates, and contacts for other criminals. The gang used folded lottery tickets to disguise the drugs and distributed them through a vast network of dealers.
As evidence collected, police seized expensive jewelry, clothing, vehicles, and piles of cash during the raids. The gang was thought to have processed 19.8lbs (9kg) of cocaine with an estimated value of £1.1 million.
In the past year, the members have been jailed for a combined total of 71 years and seven months. The Haziri brothers, Edmund and Edward, were each handed 15-year jail sentences. Dealer Razvan Manoliu received a two-year and eight-month sentence. The final member of the gang, Daniel Stavrat, 29, will be sentenced next month.
Det Insp Kane Martin, who led the investigation, condemned the gang’s actions, saying, “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.” Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
