[F]our men have been jailed after concealing £275,000 worth of drugs in boxes of dog treats and washing powder.
Today (Monday 4 September 2017) four men were sentenced to a collective 48 years in prison at Manchester Crown Court for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.
Mohammed Jabbar (12/07/1989) of Howgill Crescent, Oldham was sentenced to 15 years.
Jeremy Curran (04/02/1983) of Park Circus Place, Glasgow was sentenced to 12 years.
Mohammed Rafique (02/10/1976) of Spender Avenue, Cheetham Hill was sentenced to 14 and a half years.
Jonathan Clorley (07/06/1992) of Outwood Road, Heald Green was sentenced to 7 years.
The court heard how on 25 July 2016, a man had travelled from Northampton to Cheetham Hill where Rafique and Jabbar supplied him with a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine.
After discovering these drugs on his possession, police began an investigation into Rafique and Jabbar. On Monday 16 August 2016, they discovered that Curran travelled from Glasgow to Cheetham Hill and met with the men.
The next day, Jabbar, Rafique and another man, Clorley, were driving back to Glasgow when they were stopped by police. On searching the car, officers found two boxes of dog treats and one of washing powder, which contained 2.5kg of heroin.
Upon further investigation, police discovered that the four men had been communicating using military encrypted mobiles.
These messages revealed that Jabbar had spoken with a colleague in the Middle East, detailing the supply of heroin to Curran and boasting about the £150,000 worth of drugs in Jabbar’s possession.
After searching Clorley’s address, a significant amount of powered caffeine was seized and he was arrested for possession with intent to supply heroin. Jabbar, Curran and Rafique were also arrested for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and pleaded guilty to these charges on Thursday 27 July 2017.
Inspector Lee Griffin of GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said: “After concealing a large amount of potent and dangerous drugs in household items, I can only imagine the tragedy that could have occurred if these boxes had fallen into the wrong hands.
“Although these men went to great lengths to cover up their illicit dealings, it was their own arrogance which led to the downfall of their carefully laid plans.
“Dealing drugs of any kind is unacceptable and will absolutely not be tolerated in our communities.
“Today’s sentence should be a message to others out there who continue to go against the law and supply drugs, that one day you will be brought to justice.”
