West Midlands: First woman County Lines drug dealer, Heena Ashra, jailed after boasting lavish lifestyle on social media

The West Midlands’ first convicted woman county lines operator has been jailed for three and a half years.

Henna Ashra from Harborne, Birmingham, made “significant gains” from her drug deals and became rich enough to spend £500 for a single haircut.

She also flaunted her ill-gotten wealth by posting photos of wads of banknotes and her expensive Mercedes on social media.

Birmingham Crown Court heard that the 25-year-old woman ran the county lines drug dealing operation herself and had access to Class A drugs which were supplied to Torquay and sold to users.

Ashraf would send messages to her customers when she travelled to Torquay to sell drugs.

Prosecutor Robert Tolhurst said it was clear from the messages that the customers “offered services as runners and street dealers on her behalf”.

The woman used a variety of vehicles to visit Torquay and “made a significant financial gain from her operation as evidenced from Snapchat posts of her lifestyle", Tolhurst said.

Ashraf was arrested in November when she was driving along the M5.

She threw drugs from her vehicle and disposed of a SIM card of a phone used for the drugs line and destroyed a handset, the court heard.

Ashraf’s lawyer Christopher Harding said his client was not a drug user or addict herself and her attempts to dispose of evidence were "spur of the moment."

Recorder Sacha Ackland who sentenced the woman said there was evidence to show her “significant role in the operation”.

“You made your own decisions," the recorder told Ashraf.