Unexplained wealth and expensive items bought via cash are key indicators that someone may be involved in organised crime.. Operation Costello was launched in 2020 after the UK's biggest ever law enforcement operation brought down the Encrochat platform an encrypted tool used exclusively by criminals to communicate with each other - allowing investigators to view messages and other media sent between users as they discussed large-scale criminality such as the movement of drugs and weapons. Local News. & Cipher Machines There is no doubt that Kiani was behind the distribution of multiple kilogrammes of cocaine and heroin, something which will have no doubt had a significant and harmful impact across our communities. Subscribe now for weekly updates of local news and sport from your town. His lieutenant, 32-year-old Yaqoob, of Kingsway, also had an Encrochat device, with the pair frequently discussing drug deals and cash exchanges. 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These individuals are funding lavish lifestyles off the back of violence, exploitation and the misery of others. Three drug dealers involved in a 3 million drugs conspiracy ferrying wholesale amounts of cocaine between Luton and London have been jailed. Pramod Thomas. He was jailed in April for nine years. The pair were charged on 6 February last year. He was linked to the handle after police compared the movements of the encrypted device with his other, non-encrypted phone, and found them to be identical. VideoChess gets a risqu makeover, The Nigerian influencers paid to manipulate your vote, How Mafia boss was caught at a clinic after 30 years. All delivered straight to your in-box, every Friday. Messages also exposed him speaking with other Encrochat users to arrange exchanges of blocks of cocaine, along with meetings to trade cash and discussions around the storage of vast quantities of drugs, while images showed blocks of pressed white powder believed to be cocaine. Farukh Altaf, 33, of Avenue Grimaldi, Luton, was sentenced at Huntingdon Crown Court today (Thursday, April 21) to five years and seven months, after he pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin. After a three-day trial at Luton Crown Court, he was found guilty of conspiracy to supply and sentenced to 15 years and six months behind bars. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The total estimated amount of drugs seized was 19,300. Messages and images indicated Yaqoob travelled to Surrey, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Oxfordshire and London to deliver or pick up cocaine or cash. Messages showed Kiani arranging meetings with drugs and cash couriers, coordinating payments to those supplying him with the drugs, and arranging codewords for use during exchanges, said police. Fizan Khan, 26, of Beechwood Road, was jailed in May for six-and-a-half years for his involvement in the OCG, with messages on an Encrochat phone attributed to him discussing transporting a shipment of cocaine worth 38,000 to Leicester. | Privacy All nine men and three boys were charged with a range of offences including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, supplying Class A drugs, and possession. Expert analytical work showed his phone connecting to over 400 mobile phone masts between March and April 2020, notably ones near his home in Luton and a family address in Woking, Surrey. They paid no regard to the harm they were doing by bringing class A drugs into Bedfordshire, nor the associated damage that drug-related crime has in terms of public health and wider criminality. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. The group were arrested in August 2021 while attempting to exchange a kilogramme of cocaine with a street value of 100,000 during a meeting on a Luton street. ", Six Bedford men charged following operation with over 100 officers deployed, Search warrants were carried out across Bedford, Discussions with landowners holding up construction of new M1 link road, meeting hears, The link road will connect the M1 and the A6 throughout Bedfordshire, Two men arrested after theft of 500,000 of railway cable near Luton, Police said that the thefts led to 4,000 minutes of delays, Photos show the full extent of pothole damage plaguing some of Biggleswade's roads. The cannabis had been stored in a cupboard in a shed in Biscot Road. Kiani, of Carlton Crescent, was jailed for 15 years and six months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine after a three-day trial at Luton Crown Court. Bedford Today. To stay up to date with all the latest news from across Bedfordshire sign up to our free newsletter for daily updates and all the latest breaking news. Luton Crown Court heard that cannabis was for sale on a 24-hour-a day basis, with the defendants working in shift patterns. "We will continually attack this criminality, but we do need our communities to help and tell us if they have any concerns or see anything suspicious. Three members of a drug dealing network in Luton who sold 'blocks of cocaine' worth tens of thousands of pounds have been jailed. 28 year old Mansoor Kiani was found guilty of the supply of heroin and cocaine. Waseem Choudhry, Faizan Yaqoob and Fizan Khan, all from Luton, Bedfordshire, have been jailed for a total of 32-and-a-half years for their involvement in a network which used the encrypted communications tool Encrochat to sell blocks of cocaine. We won't pass your details on to anyone else. Francis McConville, 37, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years after being arrested during an investigation in August 2019 that found he was working with other drug dealers to distribute kilogrammes of cocaine at a time. lutontoday.co.uk. Our work doesnt stop here; well continue to work tirelessly to bring these people to justice.. Official Rolex Jeweler, provide expert guidance to their clients on the purchase and care of their Rolex watch. Plus what's on near where you live - and local homes for sale. Drug dealers 'stand out' during lockdown. Nub News. Op Costello is not looking at street dealers; we are going after the big players involved in fuelling local drugs markets. Six men charged following major drugs bust at multiple properties in Bedford. On February 5, 2021, Thames Valley Police officers from the Aylesbury Stronghold Team arrested Nattesh Jeevarajah after witnessing him attempting to get into a vehicle with false number plates parked on Honeycomb Way in Buckinghamshire. Mansoor Kiani, 28, of Luton, tried to hide his illegal activities by using an encrypted communication system which was later cracked by police. Operation Costello is not looking at street dealers; we are going after the big players involved in fuelling local drugs markets, Detective Inspector Tom Stean was quoted as saying by the newspaper. The judge said there were undoubtedly people higher up in the drug supply chain who have not been caught. The defendants organised themselves to meet the demand on a round-the-clock 24 hours basis. 845898). Judge Michael Kay QC described it as a "truly massive operation" and, passing sentence, said: "Class A drugs destroy lives of those who are addicted to them, they destroy the lives of families of those who are addicted. Messages showed he was arranging meetings with drug and cash couriers and coordinating payments to suppliers, and deciding on codewords. | Disclaimer. He was jailed in April for nine years. He was arrested in November 2020 and the following month was charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply heroin. Cocaine and heroin worth 58m was shipped from Holland in 39 deliveries to a business unit on a Hertfordshire farm, St Albans Crown Court heard. His trial saw evidence seized from his phone of the showbiz lifestyle he funded through his drug dealing, including being driven around in a Ferrari, and dousing Rolex watches in Champagne at a high-end London nightclub. On February 5, 2021, Thames Valley Police officers from the Aylesbury Stronghold Team arrested Nattesh Jeevarajah after witnessing him attempting to get into a vehicle with false number plates parked on Honeycomb Way in Buckinghamshire. Police called it the East of England's biggest-ever drug operation, and three other men were jailed last week. Anti Digital Forensic Data Extraction Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? The business is not just illegal, it is immoral and despicable.". The drugs were hidden at the bottom of a consignment of small-value goods such as spider catchers. | Contact https://www.digitalbank.capital/super-encrypted-cellphone. Messages on the encrypted device also exposed Choudhry speaking with other Encrochat users to arrange exchanges of blocks of cocaine worth tens of thousands of pounds, along with meetings to trade cash and discussions around the storage of vast quantities of drugs. A drug dealer in Luton who flaunted his illicit wealth by pouring Champagne over Rolex watches in a nightclub has been jailed for more than 15 years, The Daily Mail reported. Thames Valley Police is committed to tackling drugs supply, which supports organised crime and is closely linked to exploitation and violence. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of a Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. The Encrochat platform, which was used exclusively by networks of criminals, was dismantled in spring 2020 in the UKs biggest ever law enforcement operation. | This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. The pair ran a drug-dealing line supplying wholesale quantities of the Class A drugs to other dealers. Expert analytical work showed that Choudhry was the user of a particular encrypted mobile device, with data showing the phone connecting to over 400 mobile phone masts between March and April 2020, notably ones near his home in Luton and a family address in Woking, Surrey. Something went wrong, please try again later. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It culminated in 10 simultaneous search warrants being carried out in Luton in conjunction with Bedfordshire Police and the National Crime agency. Vasanthan, who was hiding from police, was in possession of 52 grams of crack cocaine, 120 wraps of crack cocaine and 10 wraps of heroin when he was found. Choudhry was a key link within a criminal network which worked to distribute vast quantities of cocaine across a wide area, which no doubt had a significant and harmful impact on a number of communities. Cain, 32, ofPetunia Court, Luton, was sentenced to seven years and six months for his role as a courier, collecting and delivering Class A drugs up and down the country. Anti Interception Three men, aged between 28 and 56, were jailed last week for their roles after pleading guilty to drugs offences. #Encrochat Luton drug dealers who sold 'wholesale' amount of cocaine jailed for more than 32 years. The global operation, based in a rented unit at Little Samuels Farm, in Hunsdon, was the largest ever drugs conspiracy investigated by the Eastern Regions Special Operations Unit. Beds Police smash organised crime drugs network, Angels Autism and ADHD Support for Parents/Carers - Executive Function Dysfunction Online Workshop. A three day trial found 28 year old Mansoor Kiani, of Carleton Crescent was found guilty at Luton Crown Court. A subsequent search of Mohammed Foyas Alis address found a further three kilogrammes of high purity cocaine with a potential street value of 400,000. These individuals are funding lavish lifestyles off the back of violence, exploitation and the misery of others. Its positive news that he and his associates will no longer be able to do this. . Find the closest jeweler in Brazil, Paran, Curitiba. Neither had previous convictions. READ MORE: Councillor storms out of meeting claiming another made 'offensive' comments. This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. The Mail report said that Kiani was linked to a specific handle, and investigators backed this up by matching the location of his encrypted device to his other, non-encrypted phone as it connected to different mobile phone masts. The trio are the latest to be brought to justice by Bedfordshire Police's Operation Costello team, which is dedicated to apprehending offenders linked to the criminal communications tool Encrochat. Anti Hacking Detectives in Bedfordshire were able to establish that Kiani was behind one of the handles on the system, uncovering conversations involving him relating to cocaine and heroin distribution. Dann, 31, ofBrocklehanger Edge, Cranfield was sentenced to 15 years while Shaukat, 38, of Bloomfield Avenue, Luton was locked up for 13 years and five months. Mohammed Shaukat and Ashley Cain, both from Luton, and Shane Dann, from Cranfield, were all part of an organised crime group (OCG) which supplied drugs across the country. 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