Slough taxi driver jailed for stitching £470k of heroin into wife's dresses before flightA Slough taxi driver has been jailed after using his unwitting wife as a mule to smuggle almost half a million pounds worth of heroin into the country.
Waseem Anwar Choudry stitched the drugs into his wife's dresses without her knowledge before she set off on a flight from Pakistan to the UK.
The 28-year-old who lives in Chichester Court was found guilty and sentenced to eight years in jail at Isleworth Crown Court on Saturday.
The drugs were found by border force officers at Heathrow when Nazreen Anwar stepped off a flight from Islamabad on June 28.
The stash was found in sealed packages, carefully sewn inside eight of Mrs Anwar's dresses.
Mrs Anwar, also 28, was arrested and in interviews with National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators claimed to have been in Pakistan for a two week holiday. She said her husband had given her the dresses to bring back and she did not know the drugs were inside.
Her husband had been due to fly back a few days after his wife but did not board the plane. He was arrested by the NCA six weeks later attempting to re-enter the country at St Pancras International rail terminal, having travelled from Pakistan via Paris.
Choudry admitted packing his wife’s bags before her flight and pleaded guilty to being involved in the importation of 3.5 kilos of class A drugs with a potential street value of £470,000.
Mrs Anwar was found not guilty of involvement in the importation following a trial at the same court.
Siobhan Micklethwaite, from the NCA’s Heathrow border investigation team, said: “This was a cynical attempt to import a large amount of class A drugs by a man who seemed quite happy for his wife to take all the risks on his behalf.
“Heroin is a dangerous substance which fuels criminality, from the organised gangs and dealers involved in making and distributing it to the street addicts who turn to crime to pay for their habit.”
Phil Douglas, Border Force Heathrow Director, said: “Border Force officers are the front line in the fight against smuggling and play a crucial role in protecting the UK from illegal drugs and other contraband.
“Working with our colleagues in the NCA, we are determined to do all we can to prevent drug smuggling and put those responsible behind bars.”
source:
http://www.sloughexpress.co.uk/News/All ... 112015.htm
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