Gang that imported £3.2m of cannabis from America jailed for over 38 years

AN ORGANISED crime gang arranged for £3.2m of cannabis to be imported from the USA to the UK and delivered to 80 homes in Wales.

- PHILIP DEWEY

A number of parcels were intercepted by the authorities following the arrest of a postal worker.

The enterprise was led by Abubakr Khawar, 28, who liaised with contacts in America to transport high-quality cannabis into the UK from seven states, and arranged for colleagues to collect parcels from recipients who were paid between £50 and £200 for agreeing to receive packages of cannabis.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court has heard the cannabis was then taken to a stash house in Cardiff, where the substance was broken down into smaller amounts and redistributed to other suppliers and users.

A police investigation discovered the operation began on November 10, 2022, with 80 addresses identified as being the recipients of packages of cannabis.

Border Force intercepted a total of 327kg of cannabis destined for addresses in Wales linked to the organised crime gang (OCG), which was said to have made between £3,000 and £10,000 worth of profit a day during the period of the enterprise.

The other leading figures in the OCG were Mohammed Hussain, 28, and Abdu Husain, 29, who were described as Khawar's “trusted lieutenants”.

They were involved in supplying, distributing and storing drugs and moving hundreds and thousands in cash as a result of the illegal trade.

The OCG collected up to £290,000 in cash and used passwords and postcodes in order to achieve some form of secrecy and security.

Mohammed Hussain was tasked with collecting cannabis from residential properties, making payments to recipients and managing the storage and distribution to other suppliers and users.

His phone revealed messages, including photographs of himself collecting a large number of parcels and said he would “get a lengthy prison term if caught.” There were also photographs of him posing with large sums of cash.