Two drug dealers from Slough posed as key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic to hide their involvement in a cocaine-dealing ring worth £6.5 million - but the pair have now been put behind bars.
Farrakh Mian, aged 46, of Winvale, Slough, and Yousuf Khan, aged 25, of Salt Hill Way, Slough, were each sentenced to 13 years and four months’ imprisonment.
At the same hearing, Jake Dear, aged 31, of HMP Parc, was sentenced to eight years and eight months’ imprisonment.
All three men previously plead guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine.
In May 2020, officers stopped Mian and Dear who were wearing high visibility vests and driving vans that had the appearance of highway maintenance vehicles.
When carrying out searches, officers found 30kg of cocaine in the back of Mian’s van and 15kg of cocaine in the back of Dear’s van.
It is believed they were dressed as highway maintenance workers to make it look as if they were key workers during the pandemic so that they would be less likely to be stopped by the police, according to a representative from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit.
Khan was arrested and officers found that his flat was being used as a safe house for the drugs, with 20kg of cocaine uncovered.
The estimated street value of the drugs found was around £6.5 million.
When they were arrested, Mian, Dear and Khan were also in possession of Encrochat phones which were devices that enabled encrypted messaging in an effort to prevent police gaining access to data.
The service was taken down by international law enforcement in 2020.
The Encrochat messages revealed that the group were responsible for the supply of 491kg of cocaine between March and May 2020.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Mark Southey, of SEROCU, said: “This organised criminal gang tried to evade police by using encrypted messaging and by posing as key workers during the pandemic.
"However, as a result of the unrelenting efforts of the unit, we have been able to bring these men to justice and take a large quantity of drugs off the street, preventing it from entering our communities.
“This is just one example of SEROCU’s commitment to tackling those who seek to bring harm to our communities through the supply of drugs.
“If you have information about drug crime in your area, please report this to your local force by calling 101 or online. You can also make reports anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.”
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