Taxi Driver Online

Taxi driver jailed at Bradford Crown Court after selling drugs to boost income



A TAXI driver who dealt drugs from his vehicle to boost his income has been jailed for 21 months.

Iftiqar Ali, who had been a licensed cabbie since 2017, was caught with a £10,570 stash of the Class C sleeping pill type drugs, Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday.

Ali, 52, had Diazapam tablets in his hand after he was stopped by the police on Shay Lane in Halifax on February 28 last year.

A search of his home turned up a stash of Diazapam, Etizolam and Tamazepam, prosecutor Imran Khan told the court.

Ali, of Frank Street, Halifax, pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply.

Mr Khan said his taxi was pulled over by the police at 7.45pm because intelligence had been received that he may be drug dealing.

Ali’s hand had to be prised open to reveal the tablets and he shouted to another taxi driver in a language the police officers did not understand. Cash to the value of £530 was found in the vehicle.

Ali had 14 previous convictions for 33 offences. They were driving offences and matters of dishonesty, the court heard, and all were many years ago.

His barrister, Shufqat Khan said the father-of-three was deeply ashamed and regretful about what he had done.

Ali had been a drug user in the past but he had rid himself of the addiction by 2007 with the help of his supportive family. But he was left with anxiety and panic attacks and turned to prescribed sleeping pills instead.

From 2010, he could no longer get them from his doctor so he sourced them himself, Mr Khan said. That meant he knew how to obtain them to supply to others.

Ali had been a taxi driver since 2017 but that employment was now lost to him. He was a hard-working man and had obtained new work packing at a factory.

He had caused his family great distress by his actions and had left home as a consequence, Mr Khan said.

Recorder Taryn Turner told Ali it was a very serious matter that called for immediate custody.

He was dealing in drugs as a sideline because he wasn’t making enough money from taxi driving.

“Members of the public were exposed to the risk of you offering to supply them with drugs,” Recorder Turner said.

Ali’s passengers would have included elderly and vulnerable people and children.

“The court is disgusted and horrified,” Recorder Turner said.

She set a Proceeds of Crime Act timetable to decide how much Ali benefited from his drug dealing.

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IDFIMH

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IDFIMH

another one that needs booting out of the country if possible

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Not particularly interesting, but if I'm reading this correctly then this 'confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act' has resulted in the perp being billed another £116, effectively?

And if he doesn't hand over this £116 then he'll be sentenced to an extra two months?


Ill-gotten gains seized from drug dealing taxi driver

https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/ ... xi-driver/

A TAXI driver jailed for dealing drugs from his vehicle has been ordered to pay back £646 of his ill-gotten gains.

Iftiqar Ali, who had been a licensed cabbie since 2017, was caught with a £10,570 stash of the Class C sleeping pill type drugs.

He was jailed for 21 months at Bradford Crown Court in March but his sentence was later reduced to 18 months by the judge, Recorder Taryn Turner.

On Friday, at a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, it was ruled that Ali’s benefit from drug dealing was £11,182 and the available amount to be seized from him was £646.

Of that, £530 was already in the hands of the police after officers found it in his taxi when he was arrested.

Ali, who appeared before the court on a video link to HMP Liverpool, was ordered to hand over the balance of the money in three months or face an extra two months behind bars.

At the sentencing hearing, the court heard that Ali, 52, had Diazapam tablets in his hand after he was stopped by the police on Shay Lane, which runs between the Ovenden and Holmfield areas of Calderdale, on February 28 last year.

A search of his home turned up a stash of Diazapam, Etizolam and Tamazepam, prosecutor Imran Khan said.

Ali, of Frank Street, Thrum Hall, Halifax, pleaded guilty to three offences of possessing Class C drugs with intent to supply.

Mr Khan said his taxi was pulled over by the police because intelligence had been received that he may be drug dealing.

Ali’s hand had to be prised open to reveal the tablets and he shouted to another taxi driver in a language the police officers did not understand.

Ali had 14 previous convictions for 33 offences.

They were driving offences and matters of dishonesty, Mr Khan said.

His barrister, Shufqat Khan said the father-of-three was deeply ashamed and regretful about what he had done.

He had anxiety and panic attacks and turned to prescribed sleeping pills to help him.

When he could no longer get them from his doctor he sourced them himself meaning he could sell some of them on to others.

Recorder Turner told Ali it was a very serious matter that called for immediate custody.

He was dealing in drugs as a sideline because he wasn’t making enough money from taxi driving.

“The court is disgusted and horrified,” she said.

maybe it's my maths but I make it they are demanding another £10652 from him

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

It's your maths.

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Chris The Fish

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdlyi5mc ... re=related

It's a formal process to not only demand the £116 but to keep the other £530 they already have.

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IDFIMH