A Manchester man played a key role in a drugs gang which used a fake removals firm as cover to smuggle £135m of cocaine, heroin and ketamine into the UK. The gang used dummy loads of furniture to hide 'industrial quantities' of drugs in lorries and vans, some of which had hidden compartments to conceal the shipments.
West Midlands Police say it's the biggest drugs case they've ever dealt with. Humayan Sadiq, 43, of Manchester, had planned to move the cocaine that was due to have been brought into Portsmouth from Colombia via Holland.
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He has been found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine following a trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
Police say the gang was headed up by Jonathan Arnold, who pretended he was the legitimate boss of the small removal firm which had a turnover of £50,000 a month. In reality, the 29-year-old was enjoying a life of luxury on the back of his criminal empire, spending his dirty money on plastic surgery and sun-soaked trips to Dubai.
In footage taken by the police Arnold can be seen swanning about in a Ferrari and showing off a gleaming set of new teeth. The gang’s downfall began last January when one of their couriers - who cannot be named for legal reasons - made a drug run to Europe in a Real Estate Removals van which was searched by French Customs.
Officials discovered 63 blocks of cocaine weighing 71kg along with 99 bags of ketamine weighing 101kg. The consignment had a UK wholesale value of £2,561,900. Last April, Dutch police seized 1,477kg of cocaine with a street value of around £118m into Portsmouth, hidden amongst bananas on a ship which had travelled from Colombia to the Netherlands.
The ship was allowed to continue its journey into Portsmouth, after the drugs had been removed. And in June last year, another of the gang’s drivers, Connor Fletcher, from Wolverhampton, travelled to a town near Amsterdam for an overnight trip and returned with 60kg of cocaine hidden in two secret compartments built into the floor of the lorry.
By this point, Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands (ROCUWM) had linked him to the gang and he was intercepted by Border Force on his return and he was arrested. The gang was arrested and a trial concluded today (May 19) at Birmingham Crown Court.
Arnold, aged 29, of Cremorne Road, Sutton Coldfield, admitted four charges of conspiracy to import and supply drugs – cocaine, heroin and ketamine. James Jenkins, aged 25, of Lichfield Street, Tamworth, who acted as a supervisor for the operation, was found guilty of two charges - conspiracy to supply and also import cocaine.
Fletcher, aged 25, of Bridgnorth Road, Wolverhampton, who drove an HGV into Dover from Calais containing 60 kg of cocaine concealed within two hides, was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine.
They will be sentenced at a later date.
Two others on trial - Jack Bishop, aged 31, of Hockley Road, Tamworth, and Ryan Hatton, aged 27, of Trent Valley Road, Lichfield, were found not guilty of the drugs charges against them.
Det Chief Supt Jenny Skyrme, head of the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: "We can't underestimate the scale and significance of this criminal organisation. This is the biggest drugs case that we have ever dealt with as an organisation.
"The gang was operating at the highest levels of criminality, bringing in industrial quantities of drugs to sell on the streets of the West Midlands and beyond. As the head of the crime group, Jonathan Arnold enjoyed a lavish lifestyle, driving luxury cars and enjoying trips to Dubai.
"He gave the impression that he was a legitimate businessman with a small firm which moved furniture and had a turnover of £50,000 a month. The reality was that he was arranging tens of millions of pounds worth of drugs to be imported into the UK from Europe and South America, which would have gone on to cause untold misery and significant harm to communities.
"We were able to build a really detailed picture of this operation through mobile phone analysis, CCTV and other intelligence. Working with the National Crime Agency, Border Force, and law enforcement abroad, we’ve been able to put the gang behind bars where they will spend many years."
Tim Burton, Specialist Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "This was a sophisticated criminal operation and the amount of drugs this gang was attempting to import into the country was colossal. These drugs were intended to be put into the hands of other crime groups.
"Had everyone involved in this criminal activity been successful, millions of pounds worth of drugs could have ended up on the streets of UK towns and cities causing public harm.
"The CPS worked closely with the NCA and West Midlands Police Regional Organised Crime Unit to build a strong case resulting in their conviction, disrupting the trafficking of drugs into the country."
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