A drug dealer who progressed from selling on the streets to holding a trusted and significant position within one of Rochdale’s most notorious organised crime groups has been jailed for 10 years and six months.
Haider Ali, 34, of Pike Street, Rochdale, was involved in the Adam drugs line, an established operation supplying cocaine and heroin across the town.
Greater Manchester Police said Ali had moved from street-level dealing in 2014 to managing other dealers and controlling the dedicated Adam line phone by 2024 and into 2025.
He was sentenced at Minshull Street Crown Court after pleading guilty to offences involving the supply and possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin.
Police Followed Ali After Suspected Drug Deal
The investigation into Ali began after police received information about a suspected drug deal taking place from a vehicle on Baron Street in Rochdale shortly before midnight on January 4, 2025.
Officers followed the Nissan Qashqai involved and carried out a reinforced stop when it pulled into a petrol station.
Ali, who had been travelling in the front passenger seat, got out and attempted to leave before officers detained him nearby.
He was found with more than £1,000 in cash and two mobile phones.
Further searches recovered bundles of wraps containing brown and white substances which were later confirmed to be heroin and cocaine.
One of the prepaid mobile phones seized from Ali was identified by investigators as the dedicated Adam drug line.
Ali Managed Other Dealers
Police said their investigation showed Ali’s role extended beyond selling drugs directly to customers.
He managed lower-level street dealers, operated the dedicated dealer phone and instructed those working beneath him where their next transactions should take place.
Evidence suggested Ali had first operated as a street dealer in 2014 before eventually becoming an established and trusted figure within the wider Adam organised crime group.
A further warrant was executed at his home in March 2025, leading to another arrest.
Ali was eventually sentenced for being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin and multiple counts of possession with intent to supply both drugs.
What Is The Adam OCG?
The Adam organised crime group has been the subject of a sustained Greater Manchester Police investigation spanning several years.
The gang became widely known outside Rochdale after the police operation against it was featured in the BBC documentary series The Detectives: Taking Down An OCG.
The series followed specialist GMP officers as they attempted to dismantle what was described as one of Rochdale’s most significant criminal networks.
The wider investigation began after an axe attack on Rochdale’s Newbold Estate provided detectives with an opportunity to examine the gang’s broader activities.
Police uncovered evidence of a sophisticated criminal network involved in large-scale drug dealing, the exploitation and grooming of children to sell drugs, witness intimidation and suspected money laundering.
The group’s drug operation relied on dedicated phone lines used to advertise crack cocaine and heroin to an established customer base.
Messages sent in bulk, sometimes known as “flare messages”, were used to advertise drugs and arrange sales.
Adam Line Continued After Major Police Operation
The Adam drugs line did not disappear after the original investigation featured on television.
Police continued targeting people associated with the network who remained active in drug supply.
In 2024, two men linked to the Adam operation were jailed after officers discovered large quantities of crack cocaine being manufactured at a property in Rochdale.
Laraib Irshad was jailed for more than 22 years and Tariq Muneeb received a 12-year sentence following investigations which also connected them to wider cocaine supply.
Police said those convictions arose from efforts to target members of the Adam OCG who had remained criminally active despite the earlier operation.
Ali Was Trusted With Wider Gang Information
During Ali’s sentencing, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones said he had been trusted with information about the wider drugs operation, including details relating to the importation of Class A drugs.
The judge made clear that Ali himself was not involved in those importations, but his access to such information demonstrated the position he had reached within the organisation.
Greater Manchester Police said his management of street dealers had contributed significantly to the continued success of the Adam OCG.
Police Say Group Has Caused Years Of Misery
PC Joe Cooke, from GMP’s Rochdale Challenger Unit, said the Adam OCG had caused “misery for many years” to communities in Rochdale and beyond.
He said Ali’s drug dealing and management of lower-level dealers had helped sustain the criminal network.
Police said organised crime groups frequently exploit vulnerable people in pursuit of money and influence and insisted officers would continue targeting those involved in the Adam network.
Ali will now serve a sentence of 10 years and six months in prison.
