A WEST Midlands gang involved in a large-scale drug smuggling operation has been sentenced to more than 80 years in prison. The group used a fleet of vans with hidden compartments to transport cocaine and cash across the country.
West Midlands Police seized 400kg of high-purity cocaine and £1.6 million in cash during their investigation, which dismantled the gang's operation. The drugs were often hidden in pallets of raw chicken, and cash was found stashed in vehicle tyres and industrial machinery.
In one seizure, officers recovered 225kg of cocaine destined for export to Australia from a warehouse in Sutton Coldfield. The gang communicated using Encrochat, an encrypted messaging platform believed to be secure, which was later shut down as part of a nationwide operation.
Two members of the gang, Maninder Dosanjh and Amandeep Rishi, were arrested when police stopped a van in Birmingham carrying 150kg of cocaine hidden in frozen chicken. Other arrests followed, including Mohammed Usman, who was caught transporting nearly £500,000 in cash hidden in tyres from the West Midlands to London.
In another incident, over £1 million in cash was found in a concealed compartment of an air compressor in a van linked to the gang.
Within a 10-day period in July 2020, all 10 members of the gang, residing in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Walsall, South Staffordshire, and London, were arrested. They pleaded guilty to their offences between March 30 and August 13, 2020.
On August 20, Birmingham Crown Court sentenced the group. Dosanjh, 39, received 16 years and eight months, while Rishi, 42, was sentenced to 11 years and two months for their leading roles in the operation. Usman, 29, Rizwan Ali, 34, and Kamran Hussain, 34, were sentenced to between seven and nine years for their significant roles.
Others involved, including Peter Masih, 44, Mandeep Singh, 42, and Mithab Hussain, 31, received sentences ranging from seven to eight years for their lesser roles. Ashtiaq Ahmed, 45, and Sayeed Hashemyan, 38, were sentenced to over two years for money laundering.
Detective Chief Inspector Pete Cooke of West Midlands Police said, "We exposed the gang’s activities, which were both sophisticated and on a commercial scale, using a network of trusted individuals and vehicles with hidden compartments. Their illegal enterprise put large quantities of drugs on the streets both here in the UK and overseas."
The gang was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, money laundering, and conspiracy to fraudulently evade exportation prohibitions.
