Black Country customer service worker led £4m drug smuggling ring
A Black Country customer service worker has been jailed for 17 years after leading a drug smuggling ring that imported £4 million worth of heroin into the UK.
Shafaqat Hussain admitted heading an operation that trafficked 40 kilos of heroin into the UK from Pakistan.
The 39-year-old led a gang of seven crooks who smuggled large quantities of the Class A drug into the West Midlands until they were rumbled by a major undercover police operation.
Hussain, of Perry Park Road, Rowley Regis, used his contacts in Pakistan to organise the operation which saw heroin smuggled in through various different UK ports, with the drugs hidden inside everyday items such as children's clothing.
Customer service agent Shafaqat Hussain, 39, of Perry Park Road, Rowley Regis
Floor layer Sakander Riaz, 34, of Belchers Lane, Bordesley Green
Unemployed Jason Tremayne, 45, of Latelow Road, Kitts Green
Unemployed Andrew Yaqub, 44, of Latelow Road, Kitts Green
Brothers and shopkeepers Usman, 23, and Umar Farooq, 31, both of Latelow Road, Kitts Green
Unemployed Harji Varsani, 54, of no fixed address.
Detectives became suspicious in August 2012 when accomplice Sakander Riaz was arrested in connection with another matter.
Information obtained in that inquiry sparked a huge covert policing operation that led to the interception of millions of pounds worth of heroin in Bordesley Green and at ports around the UK.
Officers from the Serious Organised Crime Unit and the National Crime Agency were then led to the gang.
And after admitting conspiring to import heroin Hussain has now been jailed for 17 years, with the rest of his gang also facing hefty prison sentences.
Detective Chief Inspector Phil Cape said: "The group's activities had not been straightforward.
"Their crimes spanned continents and our response required the deployment of sophisticated investigative techniques which we will not reveal to protect future operations.
"As a result of our hard work, drugs destined for the streets of the West Midlands and worth £4 million have been taken out of circulation and seven criminals put behind bars."
With the court case over, detectives will now set about recovering the money illegally earned by the men through the Proceeds of Crime Act.
The act allows officers to seize assets - such as cars, watches and houses - which they believe have been bought with criminal cash. A senior judge will then decide if the items can be auctioned, with any money raised being put back into local crime-fighting initiatives.
Shafaqat Hussain - pleaded guilty to conspiring to import heroin. Jailed for 17 years (11 April).
Sakander Riaz - pleaded guilty to conspiring to import heroin. Jailed for 13 and a half years (11 April).
Jason Tremayne - found guilty of conspiring to import heroin. Jailed for seven years (November 2015).
Andrew Yaqub - pleaded guilty to allowing his premises to be used in connection with drug trafficking offences. Jailed for 18 months (November 2015).
Harji Varsani - found guilty of conspiring to import heroin. Jailed for five years (November 2015).
Usman Farooq - pleaded guilty to conspiring to import heroin. To be sentenced in May.
Umar Farooq -pleaded guilty to conspiring to import heroin. To be sentenced in May.
Anyone with information about suspected drug dealing in their neighbourhood should call police on 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 111 555.
