Drugs gang who supplied 'high purity cocaine' and skunk cannabis sentenced
A drugs gang whose plan to deliver drugs across Yorkshire unravelled when a courier was stopped by police have been sentenced in court.
The gang was led by Sobaan Khan, who organised the supply of large amounts of drugs, including crack cocaine, heroin, cocaine and cannabis.
The enterprise unravelled after a courier called Owais Yasin was stopped in August 2019 while on his way to deliver drugs from Sheffield to Huddersfield.
He was found in possession of 10 kilos of skunk cannabis with an estimated street value of £85,000 and 125 grams of high-purity cocaine with an estimated street value of £12,500.
The drugs had been supplied from Sheffield by Shamraze Bashir and were due to be delivered to Khan.
Later that month, Khan himself was spotted carrying bags into a flat in Westgate in Huddersfield, and then handing over another bag - which contained cannabis - to a taxi driver called Amjad Hussain.
Hussain was later stopped and found in possession of cannabis, heroin and cocaine.
Searches of a flat on Westgate resulted in a large amount of cannabis being seized, while officers also seized crack cocaine and heroin valued at over £800 and cannabis valued at over £31,000.
The drugs were forensically linked to Khan, with his fingerprints and DNA found on the cannabis and on items in both the taxi and the flat. Both Khan and Bashir were found in possession of ‘encro chat’ devices which officers were unable to access.
Khan, aged 37, formerly of Mountjoy Road, Edgerton, Huddersfield, had admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, crack cocaine, cocaine and cannabis between August and September 2019 at an earlier hearing.
He was jailed for seven years and two months after being described as having a ‘leading role’ in the enterprise.
Detective Inspector Chris Rukin of the Programme Precision team said: “Khan was a leading player in the distribution of drugs across Huddersfield and further afield in West Yorkshire and into Manchester.
“He was responsible for receiving deliveries of high quantities of drugs and used a network of taxi drivers to ferry him about to do his deals, or to deliver and collect drugs on his behalf.
“I’m pleased that the court has handed down sentences that reflect the severity of their actions.”
Other sentences included:
Shamraze Bashir, aged 44, of no fixed address, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis. Described as an upstream supplier to Khan’s organised crime group, Bashir was jailed for seven years and six months.
Owais Yasin, aged 26, of St Peg Close, Cleckheaton, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis, offering to supply cocaine and cannabis and possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis related to a separate incident in May 2019. Described as a courier and street dealer, he was jailed for four years and two months.
Taxi driver Amjad Hussain, aged 47, of Thorne Road, Huddersfield, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis. He was jailed for five years and seven months.
Zubair Saleem, a taxi controller who recruited a taxi driver to transport Yasin to Sheffield admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis. He was sentenced to a two-year community order, 10 days rehabilitation and 200 hours of unpaid work.
Tariq Mahmood Ahmed, aged 49, of Springdale Avenue, Huddersfield, a taxi driver who transported cannabis for Khan, admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis. He was sentenced to a two-year community order with 160 hours of unpaid work.
Vegjhe Shahinaj, aged 44, of no fixed address, admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis. Described as an upstream supplier to Khan, he was jailed for 16 months suspended for two years and given 180 hours of unpaid work.