Drugs ring comprising Pakistanis busted in UK

LONDON: Scotland Yard announced on Wednesday that it had busted a multi-million Pound drugs ring which imported heroin from Pakistan concealed in items such as children’s clothing inside parcels. The conviction of six men, including four students from Pakistan, has become possible after Pakistan’s Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) in Karachi cooperated with their counterparts in London.
The men from London were all sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court for conspiracy to import heroin. Omar Farooq Islam, 24, was sentenced to nine years and four months imprisonment; Zohaib Shah, 26, was sentenced to eight years imprisonment; Muhammed Fayaz, 26, was sentenced to five years imprisonment; Luqman Shah, 25, was sentenced to five years imprisonment; Zahid Shah, 27, was sentenced to five years imprisonment; and Adnan Malik was sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Detective Sergeant Jim Barry, of Hillingdon CID, said: “These individuals sought opportunities to exploit the procedures that are in place to protect the public from drugs importation. To their detriment, they were unaware that the Met and its partner agencies, were working together to dismantle this drugs ring rapidly. The removal of over one million pounds of heroin is a significant win for us as investigators, the public, and those who would suffer the devastating effects of this drug. There is no place for illegal drugs in the UK nor those who import them and today’s sentences are a true reflection of this.” These men were arrested after an intensive seven-month operation led by detectives at Hillingdon CID. The investigation was supported by Border Force and National Crime Agency, who worked closely with Pakistan’s ANF in Karachi.
On 8 May 2013, Border Force officers at Coventry international postal hub identified a suspicious package which had arrived into the UK from Pakistan. Officials opened the box to discover Indian restaurant menus stuffed with Heroin estimated at £75,000. This package was intended to reach an address in Hayes, Middlesex.
On 29 October 2013, Anti-Narcotics officers in Pakistan identified a similar parcel at Jinnah Airport in Karachi. Inside heroin worth £67,000 was concealed in the lining of baby clothing. This particular package was intended to reach an address in Hounslow. Pakistani officials immediately notified the relevant UK authorities and the investigation team.
Through intelligence, detectives linked this parcel to Zahid Shah. He was arrested on 4 November 2013 in west London. His mobile phone was seized and was discovered to have thousands of text messages clearly confirming Zahid’s involvement with drug transportation and five further associates - four of whom were in the UK on student Visa.
Officers established that Omar Farooq, the owner of a tyre repair company in Oldham, was responsible for master-minding the group’s activities.What then followed, between November 2013 and February 2014, was a number of raids London and beyond to arrest the five remaining associates.
Hank Cole, Deputy Director of the National Crime Agency’s Border Policing Command, said: “This crime group thought they could hide from the law by concealing the drugs in restaurant menus and baby clothes. How wrong they were. Together with our partner agencies, we will continue to relentlessly pursue groups like this.” Mike Butler, Border Force Senior Officer at Coventry, said: “Heroin is an evil drug that ruins the lives of users, their families and the communities in which they live. Detections like this demonstrate how Border Force officers are at the forefront of the fight to keep illegal drugs and other banned substances off the streets.