JAILED: Final Burger Bar Boys gangster locked up after hiding in Pakistan for a year
The final member of the notorious Burger Bar Boys gang has been locked up for more than a decade after coming out of hiding and returning from Pakistan.
Kumran Ghalib, who supplied guns around Birmingham alongside criminals like 'godfather' Nosakhere 'Nosa' Stephenson, was arrested at Birmingham Airport in January when he stepped off a flight from Islamabad, Pakistan, where he had been hiding from police for the past 12 months.
And today the gangster joined his former accomplices in prison after being sentenced to 12 years behind bars.
The city's crown court heard how Ghalib, from Raglan Road in Smethwick, stored a French St Etienne revolver and ammunition which was due to be handed over to customers on January 16, 2015.
The 36-year-old kept the weapon at a family address in Aston in the hours leading up to the sale, before passing it over to other gang members to complete the delivery.
But police intercepted the transfer - news that quickly got back to Ghalib, who made hurried arrangements to flee before officers could find him.
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Ghalib made it to Asia, where he went to ground while 18 of his accomplices, including 'untouchable' kingpin Stephenson, were jailed for a combined total of more than 200 years.
On January 26, the day after the last three of his fellow gang members were locked up, Ghalib arrived at Birmingham Airport and was promptly arrested by detectives from West Midlands Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit.
He was charged with conspiracy to transfer prohibited guns and ammunition and on Thursday a jury unanimously found him guilty. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.
The gang were snared after a major undercover police operation saw detectives carry out surveillance for months before intercepting weapon sales on five separate occasions.
Eight firerarms, including a MAC-10 machine gun and a pump action shotgun were found buried in a garden in Aston, alongside thousands of rounds of ammunition.
Boss Stephenson was never caught in possession of the guns, but phone records linked him to every deal and every gang member involved in the conspiracy, including right-hand man Sundish Nazran.
Between them, the pair would source antique guns and arrange for ammunition to be specially made to fit the weapons, before selling the weapons on to criminal gangs for around £3,000 apiece.
Eighteen men were locked up over the conspiracy, with sixteen of the crooks having their jail terms increased when a judge quashed the original sentence.
The original sentences added up to 152 years 3 months, while the increased sentences equal 204 years - an increase of 51 years and nine months.
Stephenson is now one year into a 22-year spell behind bars, while Nazran is serving a 17-year sentence.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Ridding, from West Midlands Police CID, today welcomed Ghalib's sentence, saying: "We have now completely smashed what was a highly-organised and extremely dangerous gun supply network.
"The only one who didn't get arrested at the time – Kumran Ghalib – probably thought he'd got away with it, but we never forget about people who bring misery to the streets of our city.
"We knew it was only a matter of time before he would want to come home to his family and as soon as he got on a flight back from Pakistan we made sure we were ready to lock him up.
"If you're involved in the illegal supply of firearms in Birmingham, you're risking a very hefty prison sentence and it's only a matter of time before my team catches up with you."
DCI Ridding added: "We've made real progress over the last decade and cut gun and gang related crime massively but recent shootings in Birmingham - some of which have resulted in people losing their lives - highlight why it's important there's no let-up in our effort to rid the region of weapons."