Walsall drug dealer masterminded £50k heroin plot from Featherstone Prison cell
A Walsall drug dealer who masterminded a £50,000 heroin deal from inside his jail cell is back behind bars.
Samir Gulfaraz was serving time for heroin supply in HMP Featherstone when he organised the deal.
The plot was rumbled in 2014, but Gulfaraz's role only emerged later when calls relating to the deal were traced to a mobile phone the 28-year-old had tried to flush down his cell toilet.
He is now facing nearly 10 years in prison.
Police intercepted the deal in September 2014 after monitoring two people who later turned out to be associates of Gulfaraz. Officers seized almost £50,000 worth of the Class A drug in Trinity Road, Aston, along with thousands of pounds in cash and mobile phones containing messages and calls to a mystery third person.
This mystery number was traced to the Featherstone area and it emerged that Gulfaraz, from Waterfront Way, Pleck, had tried to flush a mobile phone down his prison cell toilet after it was found by staff.
The phone was found to be the same number connected with the drugs in Birmingham and contained a number of messages about the movement and quality of drugs.
As a result of this evidence Gulfaraz was convicted of conspiracy to supply heroin and jailed for nine years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court last Friday. It is his third conviction for drug-related offences.
Detective Constable Ben Edwards, from West Midlands Police CID, welcomed the prison sentence given to Gulfaraz.
He said: "Gulfaraz did not learn the errors of his ways.
"Despite being in prison for his involvement with drugs, greed got the better of him and he tried to carry on working within the illegal trade.
"Through detailed phone analysis we were able to trace him and prove his involvement in the supply of heroin. With the long sentence handed down, he will have plenty of time to think about the consequences."
Prisons Minister Andrew Selous said: "We welcome the sentence handed down in this case. This conviction should send a clear message that those who involve themselves in the distribution of drugs in our prisons will face prosecution and extra time behind bars.
"We have a zero tolerance approach to drugs, mobile phones and violence against our dedicated and hard-working staff, and we will always take strong action against those who break our rules."