Three Indian-Origin Men Among Five Jailed in UK Over £10 Million Drugs Plot

Five men were sentenced to a combined total of 95 years in jail by a UK court on March 26 for being part of a plot to import heroin and cocaine worth more than £10 million.

Among the five accused, Jagdish Patel, 51, was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin, and conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin for which he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Wembley resident Paulvinder Randhawa, 47, admitted, at the beginning of the trial, to conspiracy to supply heroin and was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while 55-year-old Ravindra Modha of Thurmaston was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine and will spend 16 years behind bars.

The other two persons convicted in the case are of Pakistani origin, PTI reported. Talib Hussain, 59, from Birmingham, received 24-year prison term, while Ayaz Hussain, 28, of Wembley, who admitted to conspiracy to supply cocaine during the trial, will be sent to jail for 12-and-a-half years, the Leicestershire Police said in a statement.

The men were part of a Leicester-based organized crime gang involved in importing heroin and cocaine hidden in purpose-built secret compartments in furniture, industrial bolts and clothes, according to the police. The men were involved in a plot to flood the streets of United Kingdom with more than £10 million worth of class A drugs, classified as crack cocaine, cocaine, ecstasy (MDMA), heroin, LSD, magic mushrooms, methadone, methamphetamine or crystal meth.

“Today’s sentencing marks the end of a very long and complex investigation that was undertaken over a number of months. The communities of Leicestershire should be reassured that a significant amount of drugs have been prevented from reaching the streets,” detective inspector Harry Rai said.

The East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) launched the investigation after a batch of bolts with heroin hidden inside was uncovered by the Metropolitan Police Service. After examination, it was found that the bolts had been drilled hollow, and heroin was stuffed inside, the Leicester Mercury reported.

The five men were involved in the entire process, from arranging, managing and overseeing the drugs that were imported, to distributing them in the United Kingdom so they could be peddled on the streets.