An Albanian drugs gang who idolised Al Pacino’s Scarface has been locked up for more than 70 years. Gang members 'poisoned' the Midlands with drugs wrapped in lottery ticket stubs as part of their £1.1m County Lines racket.

They produced kilos of cocaine and then used their ill-gotten gains to live 'lavish lifestyles'. The ten-strong gang was finally caught when police discovered CCTV of one of the culprits entering the passcode of an iPhone while shopping.

Officers copied the passcode to open the phone which revealed details of the gang’s drug dealing and money laundering ring. Edmund Haziri, 36, and his brother Edward, 34, ran the 'Eddie line' drugs operation.

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The criminals - including two from Wolverhampton - were convicted of conspiring to supply cocaine. They have now been jailed for a total of 71 years and seven months at Derby Crown Court.

Another gang member, Daniel Stavrat, 29, will be sentenced next month. The gang - which moved kilos of the class A drug into South Derbyshire, North-West Leicestershire and East Staffordshire - was finally caught after a year-long police operation.

Dramatic police footage captured convicts being arrested in multiple raids across the Midlands and London at 7am on March 23 last year. A huge DIY casino complete with poker and blackjack tables in the basement was uncovered at a business premises linked to the gang.

Police then began searching for the 'Eddie line' mobile phone which held the key to the gang’s extensive criminal network. Officers expected it to be at the home of Alban Krasniqi, 34, in Blackheath Hill, London, but he flung it out the window during the raid.

Bodycam footage shows officers searching the flat which had a giant poster of Al Pacino’s Tony Montana character from Scarface on the wall. Bundles of cash and multiple mobile phones were also seized - but not the critical iPhone.

A police sniffer dog eventually located the iPhone in a bush in a neighbouring garden but officers needed the six-digit passcode. Detectives managed to finally crack the code after CCTV of Krasniqi making a contactless purchase in a convenience store was found.

Footage showed him entering the code into the handset, which meant officers could use this information to access the 'Eddie line' phone. Evidence including drug orders, drop locations, dates and contacts for other criminals were on the phone.

Gazmend Hoxha, a relative of the Haziri brothers, travelled to London from his Leicester home to pick up the drugs and drop off the proceeds of the sales. He then headed back to the Midlands to resupply the gang’s numerous dealers, who would dish out drugs to as many as 145 users every day.

Detective Inspector Kane Martin, who led the investigation, said: "The Eddie line was responsible for poisoning our streets with harmful drugs but the gang simply didn’t care about the damage they left behind. They reaped the rewards of their crimes, living lavish lifestyles in London and elsewhere, while the cocaine they pumped into the Midlands destroyed families and relationships.

"The Haziri brothers and their gang are now spending many years behind bars and I hope this sends a very clear message to anyone else involved in drug dealing: we will catch you, put your before the courts, and stop you from spreading misery and addiction in our communities."

The gang members:

• Edmund Haziri, 36, of no fixed address – jailed for 15 years.
• Edward Haziri, 34, of Lewisham, London – jailed for 15-and-a-half years
• Gazmend Hoxha, 47, of Leicester – jailed for 11 years
• Alban Krasniqi, 34, of Blackheath Hill, London – jailed for nine years
• Samuel Stoica, 25, of Wolverhampton – jailed for eight years and three months
• Simion Stoica, 22, of Wolverhampton – jailed for three-and-a-half years
• Kristi Prifti, 23, of no fixed address – jailed for four years
• Joshua Garrigan, 32, of Coalville – jailed for two years and eight months
• Razvan Manoliu, 27, of Burton-upon-Trent – jailed for two years and eight months
• Daniel Stavrat, 29, of no fixed address – due to be sentenced next month