Mother and daughter jailed for drug running

A Welshpool mother and daughter who acted as runners for a Birmingham drug lord have both been jailed for nine years.

Anthea and Kareen Bagnall (pictured)who were caught with heroin and crack cocaine after being stopped in a car in Birmingham, were drug runners responsible for the distribution of Class A drugs from Birmingham to the outer locations, known as a 'County Lines' network.

Mohammed Rafiq Khan, from Birmingham, was at the top of the network which distributed Class A drugs in Shropshire, Mid Wales and across the West Midlands; as well as being responsible for supplying sawn-off shotguns to organised crime groups.

After a huge police operation Khan was detained at Shrewsbury train station in February 2017 where he was found in possession of five mobile phones, over £1,500 in cash and tickets to Dubai.

Investigations revealed more than 100 calls per day were made using Khan’s line to drug users in Welshpool, Shrewsbury and Birmingham.

The Shropshire Star reports that a total of 10 people were jailed over the operation at Birmingham Crown Court:

Mohammed Rafiq Kahn was convicted of conspiracy to distribute firearms and conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to 33 years;

Anthea Bagnall, 54, of Welshpool, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was given nine years imprisonment;

Kareen Bagnall, 22, of Welshpool, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and locked up for nine years;

Joel Martin, 31, of Little Hall Road, Nechells, was convicted for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and received 10 years;

Mark Jones, 44, of Midland Croft, Kitts Green, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and received a sentence of 10 years;

Michael Harkin, of Kestrel Avenue, Yardley, pleaded guilty to distributing a firearm and conspiracy to distribute firearms along with possession of ammunition. He was also convicted of a further count of distributing firearms and jailed for 25 years;

John Spencer Booth, of Meadowside, Ashbourne, admitted possession of firearms for sale offences and was jailed for 12 years;

Lucy Wilkie, 28, of Kestrel Avenue, Yardley, admitted possession of firearms and was sentenced to eight years;

Mark Adkins, 48, of Eastpits Road, Yardley, was found guilty of possession of ammunition and was given a jail term of three-and-a-half years;

Vineeta Kainth, 36, of Eastpits Road, Yardley, was convicted of possession of ammunition and was given a two year suspended sentence.