Halifax 'drugs courier' among eight men jailed for £1m drug dealing plot

Adam O’Connor, 32 of Stanley Road in Halifax, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting three counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and possession of criminal property.

He and seven other men were charged after officers from West Yorkshire Police’s programme precision team uncovered the drug dealing scheme.

The charges relate to three events which took place between January and April last year all involving O’Connor, who was described as a courier for plot organiser Sanchez Heffernan.

On January 30, 2024, officers spotted a drug deal taking place between O’Connor and Mohammed Jameel Ali on Essex Street in Halifax.

Ali was seen collecting bin liners and a ‘bag for life’ from the boot of O’Connor’s car.

He was later stopped on the M62 where officers found five kilos of cocaine and 20 kilos of ketamine, with an estimated street value of £700,000 in the boot.

In June 2024, Mohammed Saif Ali was also arrested for his involvement in the conspiracy.

On April 17, officers spotted O’Connor taking part in drug deal with Aman Patanker on Merton Road in Bradford.

Patanker was then seen meeting Nathaniel Fulton on Bradford’s Hillcrest Drive. Both Patanker and Fulton were arrested, and officers found a carrier bag containing an estimated £40,000 of MDMA in the footwell of a car.

On April 22, officers saw O’Connor collecting a bag from Sanchez Heffernan in Denholme, Bradford.

O’Connor then travelled to Parkinson Lane in Halifax where he met Angjelin Ndreka and Valion Bytyci.

He handed a bag containing nearly £58,000 in cash to Bytyci. O’Connor received a bag from Ndreka containing two kilos of cocaine with an estimated street value of £200,000.

Ndreka was stopped on the southbound M1 after a pursuit where he reached speeds of over 100mph and was seen throwing cocaine from the vehicle.

O’Connor was arrested on April 23 and half a kilo of cocaine was seized from his vehicle.

Appearing before Leeds Crown Court, Heffernan, 33 of Denholme House Farm Drive in Bradford and described in court as the main organiser of the conspiracy, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, and possession of criminal property. He was jailed for 23 years.

Mohammed Saif Ali, 28 of Trinity Road in Bradford, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. He was jailed for eight years.

Patanker, 23 of Third Avenue in Bradford, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He has since failed to appear at court police are looking for him. He was sentenced to six years and nine months in his absence.

Fulton, 33 of Halifax Road in Bingley, was found guilty conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He was jailed for nine years and six months.

Ndreka, 35 of Burngreave Road in Sheffield, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, possession of criminal property and dangerous driving. He was jailed for eight years and eight months and banned from driving for seven years and four months.

Bytyci, 27 of no fixed abode, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to six years and six months.

Mohammed Jameel Ali, 28 of Hutson Street in Bradford, previously admitted possession with intent to supply cocaine and ketamine and was sentenced to five years at an earlier hearing.