“She pushed her children into huge danger"
A Bradford mother who ran an international drug trafficking network and used her own children to smuggle millions of pounds of cocaine into the UK has been jailed.
Farzana Kauser was sentenced to 13 years and four months on July 18, 2025, following a major National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
The 54-year-old was the UK linchpin of an international crime group that moved high-purity cocaine from Cancun, Mexico, into Britain.
Working alongside an unidentified contact in Pakistan known only as “Uncle”, she orchestrated five successful importations using her children as couriers.
When she was arrested at Birmingham Airport on November 11, 2024, Kauser claimed she was just there to collect her children.
In reality, her children were carrying 180kg of cocaine with a street value of around £14.4 million.
Some of the cocaine was due to be passed to a courier from a separate organised crime group. The rest was taken back to Kauser’s home on Waterlily Road in Manningham before being moved on.
Rick Mackenzie, NCA senior investigating officer, said:
“To her friends and people who thought they knew her, Farzana Kauser was a thoughtful, loving mum who seemed very normal.
“She was very well practised in her life as a high-end cocaine trafficker and she took great pains to delete any trail of evidence.
“She led this crime group with dedication and determination, often instructing her children on how to smuggle the drugs effectively and on what techniques to employ.
“She pushed her children into huge danger and has allowed their futures to be effectively destroyed.
“Her youngest son was just 17 when he was encouraged to play a major role in couriering drugs into the country, drugs that wreck countless lives across the UK in their links to violence, addiction and other crimes.
“The NCA works side by side with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat Class A drugs pose to the UK.”
Kauser had devised a smuggling method that relied on flights from Cancun arriving into Birmingham Airport. A corrupt insider in Mexico would load suitcases filled with cocaine onto UK-bound flights.
Kauser’s children booked short one or two-night trips to Dublin or Amsterdam. They returned without luggage but timed their flights to land as the Cancun plane touched down.
At baggage reclaim, they collected the pre-loaded suitcases, having received photos of them from an unknown accomplice, and walked through customs as if they were their own.
The NCA confirmed this operation had been successfully used five times between August and November 2024.
Kauser had earlier pleaded guilty to importing 180 kilograms of cocaine.
Her four eldest children admitted their roles in the conspiracy, while her youngest son and daughter-in-law pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group.
All were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court, except for the youngest son, who will be sentenced in October.
- Safa Noor, aged 19, of Bradford, was jailed for seven years and two months.
- Mohammed Aamir Shaffaq, aged 28, of Bradford, was jailed for eight years and nine months.
- Umair Mohammed, aged 22, of Bradford, was jailed for eight years and one month.
- Junaid Shaffaq, aged 33, of Bradford, was jailed for 10 years and nine months.
- Khaled Abdulkawi, aged 36, of Dudley, was jailed for 10 years and nine months.
- Hamza Shaffaq, aged 18, of Bradford, to be sentenced in October.
- Sarah Hussain, aged 27, of Bradford, received a two-year sentence, suspended for two years.
Sarah Ingram from the Crown Prosecution Service said:
“This was a sophisticated and well-planned operation to flood the UK with high-purity cocaine worth millions of pounds.”
“What makes this case particularly concerning is the family nature of the conspiracy, with a mother recruiting her own children to participate in serious organised crime.
“The defendants thought they had devised a foolproof method to import drugs, but thanks to the vigilance and thorough investigation by the National Crime Agency and our prosecution, their criminal enterprise was brought to an end.
“By taking this organised crime group out of action, large amounts of drugs have been removed from circulation and can no longer reach our streets.
“This case demonstrates the commitment of the Crown Prosecution Service and law enforcement partners to disrupting drug supply chains and bringing those involved in serious organised crime to justice.”
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