Inside ‘UK’s worst city’ where junkies deal £10 heroin in ‘Oliver Twist’ crack dens and a ‘wrong look gets you knifed’
A HOODED teenager on an e-scooter rides slowly past the derelict bingo hall used as a drugs den, just yards from families on the busy high street.
In the cathedral city, shoppers side-step junkies and one drunk skinning up a cannabis joint near Primark.
Many residents are scared to go into Derby city centre, with gangs using an Oliver Twist-style network of poverty-stricken teen dealers forced into working as drug pushers.
In one part of the Midlands city, up to 40 per cent of kids live in poverty.
One ex-junkie told The Sun that wraps of crack cocaine and heroin are sold for just £10 or £20 in the city.
Locals said they are shocked at the drug dealing in the centre of the city, which was recently labelled the UK’s worst by Which? magazine, and are terrified of fights and muggings.
Shopper Hannah Hamlett, 49, said: “My 16-year-old daughter is too scared to come into the city centre.
“It can be a bit dicey. You see quite a few people on drugs – they are like zombies shuffling around. It can be quite scary. My daughter is afraid she’ll be caught up in a fight or will see one.
“There’s muggings and stabbings all the time.”
The full-time carer added: “Mind you, it’s not worse than many cities. Parts of the centre are pretty run down, but it’s not all bad.”
A 45-year-old busker, known as Hayden, said: “You see all sorts of things here. I’ve had a knife pulled on me when I had a bag of coins.
“They threatened to stab me, but I managed to get them off, and a few people rushed to my aid. There are lots of drugs, and empty buildings are used as drug dens.
“The cinema is one place and there are a few scary people around. But it’s mostly drug people who cause the problems.”
Dad-of-two John Cooper, 75, said: “You see a load of people spaced out on drugs.
“And you see kids riding around on scooters delivering drugs. I don’t like coming into the centre as a lot of time it’s not safe.”
Recent figures revealed the city is suffering from alarming deprivation, with more than 23,000 children suffering from child poverty.
They threatened to stab me, but I managed to get them off, and a few people rushed to my aid. There are lots of drugs, and empty buildings are used as drug dens
Hayden
This equates to around two in five kids struggling to get daily essentials like food and clothing.
Further south, Arboretum is one of the most deprived parts of the city. The ward of Arboretum is one of the top ten poorest in the country.
In a stunning Victorian square by the park, junkies are openly buying drugs or taking them in the park.
Landlord Eric Colwill, 72, said drug taking is a big problem with violence spilling over.
As he pruned a hedge, Eric said: “Just last week a man was stabbed twice in the back.
“Apparently, the men who attacked him said he looked at them funny. However, people who you would class as drug takers rushed out of their houses with towels to help him.
“He was taken to hospital, but I don’t think he made it.”
In fact, Derbyshire Police said the victim’s injuries “are not thought to be life-threatening” after the assault at Arboretum Park between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Thursday, May 23.
Derby's crime rate revealed
DERBY is the most dangerous city in the county of Derbyshire, with 124 crimes per 1,000 people reported in 2023.
It also ranks in the top 20 most dangerous cities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to CrimeRate.
As of the first quarter of this year, Derby’s crime rate was recorded to be 33 per cent higher than the East Midlands and 42 per cent higher than the national average.
The most common crimes are violent and sexual officers with nearly 14,500 reported in 2023 alone. It was followed by anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and public order offences.
Within the last 12 months, the highest number of crimes took place between July and September when 1,753 were reported.
Officers have appealed for information after the assault.
Eric added: “The area does have its problems with poverty and drugs. But there is also a great sense of community and people look out for each other. It’s a good city.”
As he talked, two men seemed to exchange a wrap and cash at the other end of the square.
Rival gangs
Derbyshire Police previously revealed gangs were making £400,000 a day from the sale of heroin and crack cocaine.
Brazen thugs in the area were famed for hiding the Class A drugs inside folded lottery tickets, which they sold on to users.
Rival groups have been at war in recent years as they have clamoured to take control of the “county line” in the area.
The biggest clashes were said to be between the “21” and “Eddie” gangs – the latter was run by Albanian brothers Edmund and Edward Haziri.
Recently, an Oliver Twist-style set-up run by the Haziri’s foes the “21” gang, who used an army of teen dealers, was busted by cops.
Four members of the group were imprisoned for a total of 25 years, four months ago.
The “21” tried to take over from the “Eddie” gang after the Haziris – who had 145 customers per day – were imprisoned in November last year.
The brothers and several associates were jailed for more than 70 years after police carried out “simultaneous strikes” on their hideouts in March 2022.
Prior to the Haziris taking over, the Hussain family ruled the drug scene in Derby.
They ran a large cocaine ring from their leafy home in Mickleover, which is just four miles outside of the city.
The chilling ‘family business’ was headed up by brothers Hassan, Zunaib and Danny Hussain, who operated the county line.
Meanwhile, the father Saghir Younis organised a team of delivery drivers that included registered cabbies.
More than 87 registered taxi drivers thought to be linked to the gang’s network were stopped by police last year. Officers also uncovered evidence of “child criminal exploitation”.
They found young people had been bullied and intimidated to work as dealers, which led to calls for mandatory CCTV cameras inside all Derby cabs.
One taxi driver turned crook, Shahid Iqbal, was recorded threatening to beat up youngsters who botched deliveries and issuing detailed instructions on his own dashcam.
The big breakthrough that interrupted the Hussain family’s empire was the arrest of gang member Mudasar Hussain, who played a major role in organising the delivery of drugs.
They nabbed him soon after a series of dangerous driving incidents on Princess Street, in Derby, back in April 2021.
Britain's cocaine boom
Statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development ranked 41 developed nations on the proportion of adults aged 15 to 64 who had used cocaine in the previous 12 months.
- Australia – 4.2%
- United Kingdom – 2.7%
- Austria – 2.5%
- Spain – 2.5%
- United States – 2.4%
- Ireland – 2.3%
- Netherlands – 2.1%
- Canada – 2%
- Croatia – 1.8%
- France – 1.6%
The reckless thug rammed his VW Passat into a police car before speeding off down a pavement, damaging two cars, while officers gave chase.
He had a head-on collision with another vehicle but continued to drive down pavements before crashing into a lamppost and a wall.
One Derby gang made so much cash they hired an accountant, who recorded profits of up to £400,000 per day from the cocaine ring.
Proud defence
The small city has just been labelled the worst city in the UK by by Which? magazine.
Derby received the unwanted title after nearly 4,000 people surveyed about their experiences visiting UK cities in the last two years.
But even though residents admitted it was a bit “rundown,” they were quick to defend it.
Former hospital worker Sloawomar Jerqewski, 60, who came to live in the city from Poland 18 years ago, said: “It’s no worse than many other cities. I like the place.”
Ram Asra, 51, who runs a jacket potato stall in the city, said: “Yes, you do see the odd fight and drug taking, but things are not as bad as people make out.
“There’s more shops opening and the place is full of shoppers. I haven’t had much trouble myself.”
Retired engineer Les Gryges, 74, said: “I travel around the country a lot.
“Derby has its problems but then so does a lot of places such as Liverpool.””Derby has its problems but then so does a lot of places such as Liverpool.”
The city’s football club has seen better days after the glory years in the early 1970s, when The Rams won the title under legendary manager Brian Clough.
Derby County even made it to the semi-finals of the European Cup in 1973 when they lost to Italian giants Juventus.
However, although occasionally gracing the Premier League in recent years, they have plummeted to League One, but things are looking up after promotion back to the Championship.
Wearing a Derby shirt, fan Simon Brown, 51, said: “We’re on the way back up.
“Hopefully good times are around the corner.”
A Derby City Council spokesperson said: “Derby people are traditionally proud of our city and for good reason. This is a city built on innovation, with world-class industry and thriving small businesses.
“We know some pockets of Derby face the same social issues as cities throughout the country, but we’re working closely with the police, our partners and the business community to make our city centre safer and more vibrant, and build a Derby to be proud of. Derby is only going to get better.
“Next year will see the completion of major city centre developments such as the new conference and entertainment venue at Becketwell, and the re-opening of our Victorian Market Hall after an extensive renovation, and there’s much more to come.”
Acting Chief Constable Michelle Shooter said: “As a force we are absolutely committed to ensuring that Derby remains a safe place to live, work and visit.
“The statistics relating to violence and drugs are lower than other nearby cities – and significantly lower than other cities across the country.
“Testament to the safety of Derby is that the city has been awarded Purple Flag status since 2013 – an independent accreditation that commends towns and cities that meet or exceed certain criteria related to the safety, cleanliness, vibrancy, and quality of their evening and night-time offerings.
“But, as would be expected in a large city, there a small number of individuals who, often due to vulnerabilities such as drug and alcohol dependency, require significant help from various agencies.
“However, we are also clear that, where their behaviour impacts the public negatively then we will use all the powers at our disposal to combat the issues created.
“The local city centre policing team has, in recent weeks, put in place dispersal orders that last weekend saw 11 people forced to leave the area – with one to be summonsed to court for breaching the order.
“We also use hotspot patrols of to tackle areas where anti-social behaviour is reported most frequently, and these continue based on reports from our communities.
“The force is also absolutely committed, as has been seen with the recent court results, to tackling the issue of drug dealing that has such an impact on our communities.
“Officers work around the clock proactively targeting those who, often at the expense of vulnerable young people, seek to make money by trapping people in devastating drug habits.
“As has been reported recently drug dealers have been locked up for decades because of the hard work of officers – and the information that comes from our communities.
“We will continue to pursue those drug dealers, whether they are based in the city or from outside our force borders and make it clear that our county is no safe haven for their criminality.”