Plastic straws filled with heroin were sewn into Afghan carpets
Two men have been sentenced to a total of 36 years for importing £5.5 million of heroin stashed within plastic straws sewn into the thread weaving of Afghan carpets.
Abdul Khaliq and Yadegar Nazari were both sentenced at Harrow Crown Court yesterday 6 October after officers from the Middle Market Drugs Partnership identified the class A drugs scam.
- Abdul Khaliq, 45, of Dairyman Close, Cricklewood was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment.
- Yadegar Nazari, 40, of Hassop Road, Cricklewood was sentenced to 16 years imprisonment.
Both were found guilty for the importation of 27 kilos of high-grade heroin, after a lengthy trial at Harrow Crown Court in September 2008.
In March 2008 H.M. Revenue and Customs intercepted a number of Afghan carpets bound for an address in Cricklewood, North London. The carpets had been flown in from the source country Pakistan.
The Middle Market Drugs Partnership commenced an investigation, codenamed Operation Bolebrook and identified that the carpets had plastic straws woven into the thread of the carpets. Inside each plastic straw had been carefully stashed a quantity of heroin.
On 5 March officers conducted a controlled delivery of the carpets to Khaliq's home address. Khaliq and Nazari took possession of the carpets and unloaded from the van into the address. Later the same day, officers conducted a full search of the delivery address. The flat was found to be unoccupied, but inside were the carpets with their packaging removed. Khaliq was arrested nearby and found to be in possession of the airway bill for the carpet consignment and £2,000 cash.
During interview Khaliq stated that he knew Nazari, as they had lived together when he first came to the UK, although they now lived apart. He said that Nazari had asked him to take delivery of the carpets, because his own address was 'not safe.' He denied having any involvement in the shipping of the consignment or receiving any payment for his role in the delivery.
On 12 May, Nazari was arrested for importing class A drugs and was remanded in custody. In interview, Nazari stated that Khaliq had made all the arrangement for the importation of the carpets and it was Nazari that had asked him to assist in receiving the goods.
Detective Chief Inspector Peter Weinberg of the Middle Market Drugs Partnership said: "This was an unusual and high quality concealment that these two criminals clearly thought would go undetected. The fact that it did not, should serve as a warning to anyone thinking about concealing drugs for importation.
"Today's result is testament to the great work being carried out by HMRC to identify these illegal consignments and the intelligence sharing by The Metropolitan Police Service, Serious Organised Crime Agency and City of London Police. Operation Bolebrook has successfully removed £5.5 million worth of harmful, class A drugs, from the streets of the London."
Demonstrators and riot police clash in central Athens, the latest confrontation in a wave of unrest that has devastated the Greek capital and imperiled the government.
