British drug smuggling gang sentenced to over 80 years in prison for transporting cocaine in chicken pallets

WEST MIDLANDS, England — A drug smuggling gang has been sentenced to a total of more than 80 years in prison after they were caught transporting cocaine across the country – on pallets of raw chicken.

The 10-strong gang used a fleet of vehicles with hidden compartments to transport millions of pounds worth of drugs across the UK, police said.

Illegal money was also found in car tires and industrial machinery taken from vans disguised as service vehicles.

West Midlands Police say they have seized 400kg of cocaine and £1.6m in cash after detectives disrupted the supply chain.

Also, 225kg of cocaine destined for Australia was found in a warehouse in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham.

The gang communicated via the Encrochat platform, an encrypted messaging app that criminals believed law enforcement agencies could not access.

The closure was part of a major operation in the UK, which involved the logistics, management and delivery of up to a tonne of cocaine.

West Midlands Police said they seized 400kg of cocaine and £1.6m in cash after detectives smashed the supply chain. KARYNA PANCHENKO VIA PEXELS.

The drug smugglers also carried large amounts of criminal money, reportedly in excess of £10 million, which they collected or delivered nationwide.

Maninder Dosanjh, 39, and Amandeep Rishi, 42, were arrested after police seized over 150kg of cocaine hidden in frozen chicken products.

Officers in Birmingham stopped the van the pair were in as it returned from the port in Essex.

Other gang members were arrested after Mohammed Usman collected wheels and tyres in the West Midlands and drove to London, where they were passed on to Sayed Hasheman in a housing estate.

When the tyres were cut open they revealed nearly £500,000 in cash.

On another occasion, just over £1million in cash was found in a hidden air compressor compartment in another of the gang’s vans, which was stopped by officers.

Ten men, living in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Walsall, South Staffordshire and London, were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on August 20.

They all pleaded guilty to crimes committed between March 30, 2020 and August 13, 2020.

Dosanjh was jailed for more than 16 years and Rishi for more than 11 years for their leading roles in a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and money laundering.

Maninder Dosanjh, 39, and Amandeep Rishi, 42, were arrested after police seized more than 150kg of cocaine hidden in frozen chicken products. WEST MIDLANDS POLICE VIA SWNS.

Mohammad Usman, 29, Rizwan Ali, 34, and Kamran Hussain, 34, were also given prison sentences of seven to nine years for their significant roles in conspiracy and money laundering.

Peter Masih, 44, Mandeep Singh, 42, and Mithab Hussain, 31, who played minor roles, were given prison sentences of seven to eight years.

Ashtiaq Ahmed, 45, and Sayeed Hashemyan, 38, were sentenced to more than two years in prison for money laundering.

Detective Chief Inspector Pete Cooke said: “This far-reaching investigation involved the import, export and wholesale supply of cocaine domestically and money laundering.

“We were able to expose the gangs’ activities, which were both sophisticated and on a commercial scale, using a network of highly trusted individuals and a fleet of vehicles with hidden compartments.

“We believe they were responsible for the importation of hundreds of kilos of cocaine, estimated to be worth over a tonne, which earned them huge sums of money, estimated at over £10 million.

“But all of these businesses were illegal and put vast quantities of drugs, which we know are destroying lives and devastating communities, onto the streets, both here in the UK and abroad.”

Produced in collaboration with SWNS Talker