19 November 2023 , 21:28
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The moment a county lines kingpin who idolised Al Pacino's fictional Cuban gangster character was taken down in a massive drug sting has been captured in dramatic police bodycam footage.
A local police officer in the quaint market town of Swadlincote, Derbyshire, first raised the alarm after noticing a driver acting strangely. The report went on to help specialist organised crime officers (OCB) to dismantle the Albanian drugs racket.
The vehicle had links to the drug trade and led officers to Gazmend Hoxha, a middle-man based in Leicester, as well as the rest of the so-called "Scarface Gang". The mob was led by ruthless drug lord siblings, Edmund, 36, and Edward Haziri from South London. The dealing duo filled towns in Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire with £1.1million worth of cocaine, which they wrapped up in lottery tickets.
Go-between Hoxha would run the dirty money from his home in Leicester down to London, where he would drop off the cash and pick up the next batch of cocaine. The "Eddie Line" only unravelled after a police dog sniffed out an iPhone that had been tossed out of a window when Alban Kraniqi's property was raided in Blackheath Hill, south London.
Police seize a member of the "Scarface Gang" that ran drugs between London, Leicester, Derbyshire and Staffordshire (Derbyshire Police / SWNS)Bodycam footage shows police searching the flat which had a poster of Al Pacino’s Tony Montana character from Scarface, pinned up on the wall. Multiple mobile phones were also seized, but officers only had a limited number attempts to enter the right password. Police cracked the code after trawling CCTV footage from a corner shop which showed Krasniqi entering the password, reports MyLondon.
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One leader had a Scarface poster in his home (Derbyshire Police / SWNS)The unlocked phone revealed evidence of drug orders, drop locations, dates, and contacts, which secured charges for supply of Class A drugs. The gang were convicted of conspiring to supply cocaine and were jailed for a combined total of 71 years and seven months at Derby Crown Court. A final member of the gang, Daniel Stavrat, 29, will be sentenced next month. Derby Crown Court heard the gang’s dealers supplied up to 145 users every day. In total, the organised crime group (OCG) is thought to have processed 9kg of cocaine, with an estimated street value of up to £1.1m.
They ran the "Eddie Line" from south London (Derbyshire Police / SWNS)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.
Members of the "Scarface Gang" seized in raids (Derbyshire Police / SWNS)"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."
- Edmund Haziri , 36, of no fixed address – jailed for 15 years
- Edward Haziri , 34, of Lewisham, London – jailed for 15-and-a-half years
- Gazmend Hoxha , 47, of Leicester – jailed for 11 years
- Alban Krasniqi , 34, of Blackheath Hill, London – jailed for nine years
- Samuel Stoica , 25, of Wolverhampton – jailed for eight years and three months
- Simion Stoica , 22, of Wolverhampton – jailed for three-and-a-half years
- Kristi Prifti , 23, of no fixed address – jailed for four years
- Joshua Garrigan , 32, of Coalville – jailed for two years and eight months
- Razvan Manoliu , 27, of Burton-upon-Trent – jailed for two years and eight months
- Daniel Stavrat , 29, of no fixed address – due to be sentenced next month