Yorkshire cocaine dealer Mohammed Jahangeer jailed as drugs ring members are locked up for 129 years

Mohammed Jahangeer, 39, of Ribston Walk, in Darnall, Sheffield, was part of a criminal network which peddled class A drugs across the country.

He and two other men were sentenced on Wednesday, January 5, becoming the final members of the organised crime group to be jailed for their part in the huge operation.

Jahangeer was found guilty at the end of November of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, and was sentenced on Wednesday at St Albans Crown Court to 11 years in prison.

Waseem Khan, 38, of Carrisbrooke Road, Luton, and Taswir Mohammed, 39, of Stoke Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, were jailed for 15 years and eight years respectively, after being found guilty of the same charge.

Police described Khan as a senior member of the group, who acted as a middle man for multiple customers, brokering drug deals nationwide.

Jahangeer and Mohammed were said to be customers of the business, buying kilogramme blocks of cocaine at a time for onward sale across the Sheffield and Aylesbury areas.

Ten other people had previously been sentenced for their role in the drugs network, and the combined jail term of 129 years and nine months for all 13 members is the most ever secured by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit’s (ERSOU) regional organised crime unit (ROCU).

Police said the group, spearheaded by brothers Ansar and Ajmal Akram, used encrypted phones to arrange exchanges of multiple kilogrammes of cocaine at a time up and down the country, selling the drugs to other gangs and wholesale drug dealers for onward distribution.

During a six-month investigation in 2019, members were observed travelling the length and breadth of the country, visiting Yorkshire, Dorset, Middlesbrough, Leicester, Luton, Northampton and Buckinghamshire, among other places.

Detective Inspector Ian Mawdseley said: “Thanks to the determination and tireless efforts of our officers, some very dangerous individuals are now facing a significant time behind bars and we’ve halted a supply of huge quantities of class A drugs into communities across the country.”

Ansar Akram 34, of Thumpers, Hemel Hempstead, headed up the gang and was jailed for 15 years after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.

His lieutenant, Ajmal Akram, 31, also of Thumpers, was jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of the same offences.

Rahoof Khan, 27, also of Thumpers, orchestrated the OCG’s couriers, as well as acting as one himself on several occasions. He was sentenced to 11-and-a-half years in jail in December after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine.

The group had three regular couriers, who were:

Wasim Afzal, 44, from St Margaret’s Avenue, Luton, jailed for 11 years and nine months.

Sarfraz Asif, 40, of Dordans Road, Luton, jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Jameel Khan, 27, of Winchester Street, Nottingham, jailed for 10 years.

The following men were customers, buying cocaine for onward sale in their local areas:

Ahsan Mahmood, 50, of Southlands Avenue, Peterborough, jailed for 11-and-a-half years.

Ben Lewis, 29, of St Swithins Road, Bridport, Dorset, jailed for seven years and two months.

Ali Zarei, 26, of Derngate, Northampton, jailed for five years and four months.

Ryan Brockley, 36, of Deepdale, Leicester, jailed for five years.