Thirteen men charged over UK's biggest ever drugs racket

10 Oct 2019 01:32 PM

Charges relate to the importation of £billions worth of drugs

Suspected members of an international organised crime group – arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into the importation of cocaine, heroin and cannabis worth billions of pounds – have  been charged with conspiracies to import class A and B drugs.

The thirteen men, aged between 24 and 59, were apprehended during dawn raids recently (Tuesday 8 October) across London, Manchester, Stockport, St Helens, Warrington, Bolton, Dewsbury, and Leeds.

This evening the following individuals were charged with four counts of conspiracy to import class A drugs and four counts of conspiracy to import class B drugs – Paul Green (DoB 26/03/65), of Eccleston, St Helens; Sohail Quereshi (DoB 08/07/60), Wood Crescent, White City, London; Mohammed Ovais (DoB 18/01/78), of Bournlee Avenue, Burnage, Manchester; Ghazanfar Mahmood (DoB 03/12/70), of Green Lane, Bolton; Ifthikar Hussain (DoB 26/08/73) of Upland Grove, Leeds, West Yorkshire; Vojtech Dano (DoB 23/09/81), of Vulcan Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire; and Ivan Turtak (DoB 30/08/85), of Vulcan Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

Khaleed Vazeer (DoB 09/11/62), of Westwood Avenue, Timperley, Manchester; Steven Martin (DoB 12/04/71), of Chorley Old Road, Bolton; Andrew Reilly (DoB 24/11/81) of Grange Park Road, St Helens; Mark Peers (DoB 07/02/64), of Norbeck Close, Warrington; Paul Ruane (DoB 25/01/65), of Bewsey Rd, Warrington; Oliver Penter (DoB 01/07/82), of Gladstone Street, Stockport, were all charged with two counts of conspiracy to import class A drugs and two counts of conspiracy to import class B drugs.

They have been remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday 10 October).

The four men and two women from the Netherlands, who were arrested in April by the Dutch National Police on European Arrest Warrants, are currently awaiting extradition to the UK.