Five jailed for more than 25 years after dad of prolific Leeds drug dealer inadvertently led police to home where £1million in cash found under floor

In March 2022, Hamid Ali, 61 approached officers at a police cordon and told them unknown suspects had set fire to his home in Town Street, Beeston, earlier that evening.

He also told them that a few days previously a firework had been thrown at the property.

Later, officers inspected the home of Ali after he gave his consent.

However, at the property, officers found damage that was consistent with a firearms discharge so a specialist team searched further on March 5, 2022.

While searching the home, two secret safes were discovered side by side underneath the sawdust-strewn tiled floor of an outbuilding where a dog was kept.

A locksmith was called in to open the safes which were found to contain a large amount of cash, Leeds Crown Court heard.

One safe had 365 bundles of Bank of England notes and the other contained numerous bundles of notes in bag-for-life carrier bags along with two shortbread biscuit tins stuffed with cash.

The total amount recovered was just short of £1 million according to police.

Both Hamid Ali and his son Damien Ali, 42, were arrested on March 7 and interviewed about the money after their fingerprints were found on a carrier bag from one of the safes.

A prescription-type label was found in an empty carrier bag in one safe with another man’s details on.

This led police to another address in Northcote Green, Beeston, where they conducted a search on April 6, 2022.

In the one-bedroom flat, officers discovered over half a million in cash and Class A drugs.

This included a cupboard full of cash and large amounts of suspected Class A drugs, confirmed as being 1.14kg of cocaine and 743g of heroin and a total of £329,636 cash and £224,000 of watches.

Another cupboard contained a compressed block of white powder, later confirmed to be 689g of cocaine, while a further cupboard contained a compressed block of brown powder, later confirmed as 497g of heroin.

A JD bag containing £61,020 in bank notes was found next to it.

Police officers discovered additional sums of money exceeding £200,000, along with assorted quantities of Class A drugs.

These included some stored in a substantial trunk located in the living room, conspicuously labelled with the word 'drugs.'

Officers also uncovered a cash counting device, scales, gloves, and various other tools associated with drug dealing.

Damien Ali was charged with concealing criminal property, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin and drugs offences including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Hamid Ali was charged with concealing criminal property and being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.

Also charged in the same investigation were Jordan Staten, 34, Jason Pallas, 46, and John Collett, 37, who all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

The occupant of the second property was Alan Vessey, 53, who was sentenced to five years and eight months in prison in October 2022 after being convicted of possession of heroin and cocaine with intent to supply and possession of criminal property in relation to the cash.

Damien Ali, of Town Street, Beeston, was sentenced to 10 years and two months.

Hamid Ali, of Waverley Garth, Beeston, was sentenced to five years.

Jordan Staten, of Normanton Place, Beeston, was sentenced to 28 months.

Jason Pallas, of no fixed address, was sentenced to four years and three months.

John Collett, of Bismarck Street, Beeston was sentenced to five years and 10 months.

Detective Inspector Michael Herbert, who heads Leeds District Programme Precision Team, said: “Damien Ali has played a very significant role in the organised supply of Class A drugs in Leeds for some time and is responsible for a large amount of the serious harm that this illicit trade creates in our communities.

“His drug dealing activities have been linked to a number of violent incidents in south Leeds, including where firearms have been discharged, which illustrates the wider dangers that it brings.

“The huge amounts of money that have been uncovered during our investigations show just how much people like him profit from the human misery that Class A drugs bring to individual users, their families and to local communities where they fuel crime and anti-social behaviour.”