the group were selling large quantities of cocaine
Three men have been jailed for transporting cocaine into Leicester and around the UK as part of a drugs empire.
Jameel Khan, Ali Zarei and Sarfraz Asif acted as cash and drug couriers for the group.
They travelled up and down the country peddling Class A drugs.
They were sent to places such as Leicester, Yorkshire, Dorset, Middlesbrough, Luton, Northampton and Buckinghamshire by two brothers.
The gang operated by organising meetings using covert encrypted devices in a bid to conceal their illicit operation.
Specialist police officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) tracked the group for six months.
They established that the group were selling large quantities of cocaine to gangs across the UK.
Brothers Ansar and Ajmal Akram, of Hemel Hempstead, were previously jailed for 15 and 14 years respectively.
Ryan Brockley, of Leicester, was jailed for five years on August 9, 2021.
In relation to the three couriers, Khan transported goods on 16 separate occasions, often returning with bags of cash in excess of £70,000 to hand directly to senior members of the group.
He received an encrypted phone to liaise directly with the Akram brothers.
It is thought that Khan made significant sums for his part in the network.
Zarei was a customer of the group and was a regional wholesaler around Northamptonshire. Asif also acted as a courier.
Detective Inspector Ian Mawdesley, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, said:
“These men played significant roles in distributing cash and cocaine across the country.”
“Put simply, the criminal enterprise wouldn’t have worked without them.
“Between them, they have moved multiple kilogrammes of drugs and hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash, and in doing so spread misery far and wide.
“They were key cogs in the OCG and their sentences reflect this.
“Our detectives have worked incredibly hard to bring this criminal organisation down, and intelligence gathered throughout this investigation is already helping policing colleagues across the country tackle further criminal offending.
“In addition to these sentences, our financial investigators will also use Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) legislation wherever possible to ensure those making money through illegal activity such as drug dealing are forced to repay their illicit gains.”
At St Alban’s Crown Court, the three couriers were jailed for their roles.
Jameel Khan, aged 27, of Nottingham, was jailed for 10 years.
Ali Zarei, aged 27, of Northampton, was jailed for five years and four months.
Sarfraz Asif, aged 40, of Luton, was jailed for four-and-a-half years.
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