Two county lines drug dealers jailed

Two drug dealers who were part of a network supplying drugs into Hertfordshire have been jailed for more than 10 years in total.

Kastrati

Ervis Kastrati, aged 31, of Sackville Close, Cambridge, was sentenced to six years, and Fatlum Dautaj, aged 24, of Ermine Street North in Cambridge, was sentenced to four years and three months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Dautaj

The pair, who appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday 2 May, were arrested after a series of warrants were conducted in Cambridgeshire and Essex in August 2024. These followed an investigation into the supply of cocaine across East Herts, North Herts and South Cambridgeshire between January 2024 and August 2024. During the warrant phase £30,000 in cash was seized, along with jewellery and Class A drugs.  

Further proceedings are scheduled for later in the year, under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to recover funds made from illegal activity.

Detective Sergeant Chris Cowell, from the Constabulary’s County Lines Investigation Unit, said: “These two men ran a sophisticated drug network supplying Class A drugs to customers in various towns across Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The disruption of this will make a considerable impact on drug supply and associated crime across the area.

“County lines drug gangs pose a significant threat to communities, especially young people and those who are vulnerable. We rely on information from the public to be our eyes and ears on the streets. Help us to rid your community of drugs and related crime by reporting information about drug dealing.”

You can report information online, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101.

Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form.

County Lines Investigation Unit (formerly Operation Mantis)

The County Lines Investigation Unit was launched in 2018 and is made up of officers who specialise in targeting serious and organised crime. Since May 2019 the team has executed hundreds of search warrants, more than 500 arrests and seized over £650,000 in cash. This has led to numerous county lines gangs being dismantled and offenders sentenced to more than 860 years in prison in total.

What is county lines?

County lines is the name given to describe drug dealing, which involves criminal networks from urban areas expanding their activities into smaller towns and rural areas. 

It often involves the exploitation of children, as gangs use young people and those with mental health or addiction problems to transport drugs and money. These gangs establish a base in the location they are targeting, often taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion in a practice referred to as ‘cuckooing’.

Dealers typically use a single phone line to facilitate the supply of Class A drugs to customers. The phone line is highly valuable and is protected through violence and intimidation.