Six men convicted of their role in Bedford’s drug ring – including holding two people against their will in an apartment Bedford News

On Friday, May 28, six men accused of being part of a drug ring in the county were convicted of a number of offenses, including supplying Class A drugs, forcible confinement and possession of offensive weapons. .

During the three-week trial at Luton Crown Court, the jury learned how the six men were involved in the ‘Ginge Line’, a drug supply line from Bedford.

The ‘Ginge Line’ investigation began after police were called on February 13 last year to report that five men had taken over an apartment on De Parys Avenue and were using it as base for selling drugs.

They also kept two other people on the property against their will after a bag of drugs went missing.

In an attempt to find the drugs, the men searched the victims, threatened and assaulted them with a replica gun and a machete, before forcing one of them to pay £ 200 in compensation.

One of the victims managed to escape the property for assistance and the police were alerted.

Agents attended and Reece Thandi, Naimour Ahmed, Amirul Hussain, Mohammed Ali and Shamadul Islam were all arrested.

Weeks later, a sixth man, Daniel Kight, was also arrested in connection with the incident.

A Nokia cell phone seized from his room had previously been used in the supply of drugs and showed a number of messages sent promoting drugs for sale.

The six men were subsequently charged with a number of offenses and all were released on bail with conditions.

Five gang members were also charged with criminal damage in connection with another incident earlier in the day, where CCTV footage showed them attempting to break into an address elsewhere in Bedford that was linked to one the victims.

In October 2020, agents received information suggesting the ‘Ginge Line’ was back in operation in the Bedford area, with data from the phone suggesting it was being used routinely at Thandi’s home address.

CCTV footage also placed Thandi in a convenience store on Foster Hill Road to top up the phone’s data. He was arrested again at his home on February 19 this year and when his room was searched two more cell phones were recovered, both associated with the “Ginge Line”.

Thandi, 18, of Caister Road, Bedford, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and criminal damage.

Ahmed, 21, of Faraday Square, Bedford, was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Hussain, 32, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and criminal damage.

Ali, 20, homeless, was convicted of two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs, two counts of forcible confinement, assault, criminal damage and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Islam 22, homeless, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs, and was convicted of criminal damages, two counts of assault, blackmail, possession of a fake firearm with the intention of frightening and two counts of forcible confinement.

Kight, 18, of Sandhurst Road, Bedford, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and criminal damage.

All six will be sentenced in July.