Brothers jailed in £49m heroin plot
24 Apr 2014 11:41 AM
Two brothers have been sentenced to a total of
37 years in prison for their part in trafficking 245kg of heroin into the UK
concealed in a consignment of towels. The drugs would have had a street value
of around £49 million.
The
National Crime Agency investigation showed that Yasser Khalil and Waheed Khalil
of Selbourne Terrace, Shipley, conspired with a third man, Stuart
Maich of Swarland Grove, Bradford, to import the Class A drug from
Pakistan using a legitimate company set up as a front for their drug
trafficking.
The
operation began in January 2012 after Border Force Officers at the Port of
Felixstowe searched a sea freight container from Port Qasim. It contained 592
cartons of towels. Further examination found 124 of the cartons had been
modified to provide the concealment for the Class A drug – 2kgs of heroin
was hidden inside each carton. The intended delivery address was TJ Fabrics in
Batley.
Further investigation confirmed that Maich was the sole
director of TJ Fabrics which had been set up only three months before the
shipment. NCA officers searched Maich’s home address and seized evidence
including documentation and mobile phones which linked him directly to the
shipment from Pakistan and the two Khalil brothers. Waheed Khalil and Maich
were arrested.
Forensic investigation confirmed Maich was in regular
contact with Yasser and Waheed Khalil. Officers were also able to show
that:
- Maich used a legitimate accountant and freight forwarder
who had previously provided services to Yasser Khalil. The intended delivery
address of the container was provided by Yasser Khalil.
- Faxed shipping documents found Maich’s home
address had a typographical error in the Bill of Lading in Pakistan. This was
replicated in communications between Yasser and Waheed
Khalil.
- Two
weeks prior to the delivery date, telephone communications data shows Maich in
contact with HMRC to register for VAT, a prerequisite for delivery. The same
VAT number was found by investigators hand written on a piece of paper in
Waheed Khalil’s car.
- On
the day of shipment from Pakistan, analysis shows the men were in contact with
each other every 10 minutes.
Maich pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import 245kgs of
heroin, he was sentenced to ten and a half years at Leeds Crown Court in May
2012. Yasser and Waheed Khalil pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import 245kg of
heroin and were sentenced to eighteen and a half years each.
A
third brother, Fiesal Khalil of West Park Terrace,
Bradford, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply 131grams of
cocaine which was recovered from behind a bath panel, following a search of his
home address. He was sentenced to five years nine months in
prison.
NCA’s Steve Baldwin said: “Drug traffickers
destroy local communities for their own greed. Maich and the Khalil brothers
thought they could fool law enforcement agencies both nationally and
internationally. Their prison sentences will give them plenty of time to
reflect on their misplaced confidence.”