Rochdale Drug Dealer Jailed After Police Uncover £370,000 Illegal Empire

A Rochdale drug dealer who amassed more than £370,000 through cocaine and cannabis operations has been sentenced to six years and three months in prison following a police investigation that uncovered his four-year criminal enterprise.

Usman Alam, 36, of Law Street, Rochdale, was convicted at Manchester Crown Court of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, and possession of cannabis with intent to supply. The conviction follows a raid on his home on January 5, 2022, where officers discovered cannabis, weighing scales and three mobile phones containing evidence of his drug dealing activities from 2018 to 2022.

The phones revealed messages showing Alam’s involvement in wholesale cocaine supply and cannabis production across England, alongside street-level dealing throughout Greater Manchester. Financial investigations uncovered £370,216 passing through his bank account during the four-year period, with no legitimate income sources identified.

Alam received additional sentences for Section 20 assault and threats to kill after attacking a fellow drug dealer in 2024. He accused the victim of stealing cannabis before headbutting him and striking him repeatedly with a knife handle, causing cuts and slices. Later that day, Alam threatened to “shoot” people and “bomb houses” belonging to the victim’s family members.

Detective Inspector Richard Castley from the Serious Crime Division said: “This sentencing sends a clear message that drug-related crime will not be tolerated. Over a four-year period, this individual amassed nearly £400,000 through his illegal drug operations. The violence he showed by the brutal beating of someone he merely suspected of stealing from him, demonstrates the dangerous nature of Alam and how he thinks he is untouchable and not to be crossed.”

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