WIREDGOV

Seven members of an organised crime group which imported Class A drugs into the UK concealed in the lining of quilts have been sentenced to a total of 82 years in prison.

The criminal network, based in Slough, Bucks, attempted to traffic almost 17kgs of heroin in a larger consignment of duvets and clothing on a flight from Pakistan. The drugs were found in two boxes of a 42 box shipment.

HHJ John at Reading Crown Court said: “This was a well organised conspiracy, a serious and commercial scale drugs operation to a street value of £4m. In your different roles you caused misery, degradation, theft and violence to your community.”

Tariq Gulfishan and his criminal enterprise arranged to bring the heroin into the UK in June 2011.

He was to use his trusted lieutenants Mudassor Asif, Tauseef Ahmed, Naufees Ahmed and Haroon Rehman to organise the importation. Zulfikar Khan, who part-owned Slough based taxi firm Cab Point, was to arrange the transport of the drugs from Heathrow to a stash house they had rented in Two Mile Drive, Slough.

The consignment of heroin was expected to arrive at Heathrow airport on the 9th. SOCA, in partnership with UK Border Force, identified the consignment, removed the drugs and allowed the rest of the load to continue to the Slough address under SOCA surveillance.

The next day, a driver, Zaheer Ali, picked up the shipment in a hired van and took it directly to the stash house. Gulfishan and Tauseef Ahmed arrived around noon, discovered that the drugs had been intercepted and immediately fled the scene.

Later that evening, two further members of the Slough crime group met with their counterparts from East London and Bradford and went to the stash house unaware that the plot had been foiled. All nine were subsequently arrested.

The jury at the eight week trial heard that 16.9kg of heroin was seized and forensic examination showed it was on average 48% pure.

The investigation was in partnership with the UK Border Force, Thames Valley, Lancashire, West Yorkshire and Metropolitan Police Services.

Sentences:

All of the men were charged with conspiracy to supply heroin. Five pleaded guilty on the 10/02/2012 at Reading Crown Court.

Haroon Rehman DOB 26/11/1986,  Spackmans Way Slough. Sentenced to 9 years

Tariq Ali Gulfishan DOB 19/03/1975,  Freemans Close, Stoke Poges, Slough. Sentenced to 13.5 years

Mezan Miah DOB 23/05/1984, Azealea Court, Bradford. Sentenced at a later date  

Naufees Ahmed DOB 19/09/1988, Spackmans Way Slough. Sentenced to 8 years

Zaheer Ali DOB 11/03/1979, Faraday Road, Slough. Sentenced to 9 years 9 months

Shamrez Khan also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply 4.5kgs of cannabis which was found at his home address following a search.

Four men found guilty by the jury at Reading Crown Court:

Shamrez Khan DOB 10/06/1978, Carisbrooke Road, London. Sentenced to 19 years

Mudassor Asif DOB 18/03/1980, St Pauls Avenue, Slough. To be sentenced on 22 June 2012  

Asid Hussien DOB 24/07/1979,  St Johns Road, Slough. Sentenced to 10 years

Zulfikhar Khan DOB 31/01/1983, Stoke Road Slough. Sentenced to 13 years

Three people were found not guilty.