East Belfast UVF: Two men sentenced for drugs offences after raid by PSNI Paramilitary Crime Task Force

The PSNI issued a statement about the operation today, Friday 2 February.

Police said that Shabaz Sarfraz (31) was sentenced to 16 months in total for being concerned in the supply of Class A and B drugs, cocaine and cannabis - and for possessing criminal property. Half of the sentence will be served in custody and half on licence.

Also sentenced was Burhan Ahmed (26), who was sentenced to 180 hours of community service for being concerned in the supply of a Class B controlled drug namely cannabis.

Police said that a destruction order was granted in relation to the seized drugs, drugs paraphernalia and mobile phones. A forfeiture order was also granted in relation to a sum of cash seized.Detective Chief Inspector Avine Kelly said: "Detectives from the Paramilitary Crime Task Force, as part of a wider investigation targeting suspected drugs criminality in relation to the East Belfast UVF, conducted planned searches of properties in the east Belfast area in April 2021."The seizure of the drugs recovered during this investigation exposes the hypocrisy of drug criminals, who hide behind the badge of paramilitaries, leaving nothing but a trail of misery in their wake. We will continue to proactively and robustly pursue these drug criminals and bring them before the courts."I hope that today's sentencing will act as reassurance to the community that we will listen to and act on the information that they provide to us."

She encouraged anyone with information regarding drug dealing to call 101, or to submit a report online via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

Information can also be shared via independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.