Jail for fake taxi trio caught with £20,000 of cocaine on the M1
From left are Iqbal, Khan and Shan
Three men caught with £20,000 of cocaine in a bogus taxi on on the M1 have been jailed for more than 27 years.
Naeem Iqbal, Ishmal Khan and Yasser Shan were arrested in January 2016 in connection with the plot to bring the Class A substance into the East Midlands from the Thames Valley area.
The investigation into the group, led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) and supported by Derbyshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, stepped up in August 2015 when 0.25kg of high purity cocaine was found under the front passenger seat of a VW Passat taxi.
The car was being driven north on the M1 in Derbyshire near Mansfield by Shan, accompanied by Iqbal.
The men were accused of making similar, regular trips through the area between July and August of that year under the cover of a Derby taxi cab to courier the drugs from the south - but police found not one fare had been taken.
Khan and Shan previously pleaded guilty at Derby Crown Court to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Iqbal was found guilty following a trial.
On Friday, January 13, Naeem Iqbal, 32, of Douglas Street in Normanton, Derby, was sentenced to 12 years, Ishmal Khan, 44, of Whurley Way in Maidenhead, Berkshire, was sentenced to nine years and seven months, while Yasser Shan, 34, of Bromford Lane in Erdington, Birmingham, was handed five years and six months.
A fourth man, from the Thames Valley area, was acquitted of the offence.
His Honour Judge Jonathan Bennett commended the investigating officers for the case preparation, presentation and analytical work carried out during the inquiry.
Detective Sergeant Harry Rai, who led the case, said: "This was a complex investigation into a criminal syndicate who used various methods to distribute high purity cocaine around the country and into Derbyshire.
"Their tactic of choice was a taxi, thinking their journeys across the country would be less conspicuous. But the only fares they carried were drugs and we were onto them.
"From the value of the drugs recovered, which were of a very high purity, it was quite clear these individuals were making a substantial financial gain at the expense of the health and safety of our communities."
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