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  5. Empire of pain: City of London Police foil £1m illegal pharma drug gang with two people jailed and over 1,000,000 pills seized
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Empire of pain: City of London Police foil £1m illegal pharma drug gang with two people jailed and over 1,000,000 pills seized

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City of London Police

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 25, 2024

 

Three people have been sentenced today for their role in the large scale importation and distribution of unregulated pharmaceutical drugs into the UK from India where they were then repackaged and distributed internationally.

The three defendants were found guilty during a 6 week trial and were sentenced today at Southwark Crown Court with the following:

  • Salman Ansari, 33, of Central Road, Wembley, was found guilty of 12 counts of possession with intent to supply drugs (Class A, B and C), one count of conspiracy to supply Class C and one count of money laundering. Salman Ansari received a six year sentence.
  • Waqas Saleem, 33, Sylvia Gardens, Wembley, was found guilty of 12 counts of possession with intent to supply drugs (classes A, B and C), one count of conspiracy to supply Class C and one count of money laundering. Waqas Saleem received a sentence of two and a half years.
  • Juhi Ansari, 32, of Central Road Wembley, was found guilty of one count of money laundering and received a suspended sentence but will be required to complete100 hours unpaid work and 25 days rehab.

Over 730kg of drugs were seized during the operation. This included strong opioids such as tapentadol and tramadol, and benzodiazepines including zolpidem, zopiclone and nitrazepam. Both types of drugs are commonly misused for their sedation effect and can be fatal when combined. In total there were more than 1,000,000 tablets seized.

In total, there were nine different drugs that were categorised as being Class C (zolpidem, zopiclone, nitrazepam, tramadol, etizolam, pregabalin, flubromazolam, bromazolam, alprazolam), one Class B (cannabis resin) and one Class A (tapentadol).

Detective Constable Syed Shah, from the Serious Organised Crime Team, City of London Police said:

“Today’s result is the culmination of numerous law enforcement agencies, working together from across the world, over a period of more than three years.

“The illegal importation of drugs has a devastating impact on the public These drugs in particular are subject to an emerging trend of misuse due to their availability and affordability. Many of the drugs seized are unregulated products for the UK market, with the investigation team encountering counterfeited brands such as Xanax with flubromazolam where the pills dose and potency unknown. The withdrawal from drugs such as pregabalin can be more severe than opiate withdrawal and presents the user with a risk to life.

“This investigation involved partnership working with colleagues from  UK Border Force, as well as crucial support overseas from US law enforcement, principally the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Patrol and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). From everyone at City of London Police, we thank you all for your hard work.

“To those individuals which have assisted or benefitted financially from this criminal enterprise, you all now become the focus of future investigations with law enforcement targeting you in the UK and overseas.”

Special Agent Fernando McMillan, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office said:

“Selling and importing unapproved pharmaceutical drugs across international borders and into the United States puts the public health at risk. FDA is grateful for the partnership with the City of London and multiple law enforcement agencies to bring these criminals to justice.”

“Maintaining vigilance and collaboration with our counterparts in the U.K. remains critical to safeguarding public health and safety, and we will continue to enhance international cooperation and enforcement strategies to combat the illegal shipment of regulated products.”

Special Agent Michael J. Krol, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England said:

“This pharmaceutical smuggling ring was systematically disrupted and dismantled through the hard work of law enforcement on both sides of the Atlantic working together towards the same goal: a safe supply chain the public can trust. We live in a global society and crimes do not confine themselves to one country. We must work together to tackle transnational threats to ensure a safer world for all.”

The investigation can be traced back to October 2020 where US Customs and Border seized numerous shipments sent from the UK found to contain illicit pharmaceutical drugs. A referral was then made to the City of London Police’s Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT). By tracing the packages being sent from the UK, SOCT were able to identify Salman Ansari and Waqas Saleem being responsible for the shipment of the drugs and the location they were storing the drugs. Information sharing with US counterparts the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  led to successful warrants being executed in June 2021 in Vermont, USA, where pharmaceutical drugs were found at a property.

By tracing the packages being sent from UK airports to JFK, officers were able to identify drop-off locations of the drugs, as well as vehicles used by Salman Ansari and Waqas Saleem. This led City of London Police officers to a storage unit in Wembley.

Following a focused and in-depth proactive investigation , Salman Ansari and Waqas Saleem were arrested in July 2021and both were arrested within the storage unit for conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering.

Contained within the storage unit were a significant quantity of large cardboard boxes which contained thousands of blister packs of what purported to be pharmaceutical grade drugs. These included Tramadol, Zopiclone, Atizolam, Xanax, Nitrazepam, Zolpidem, Pregabalin as well as what was believed to be cannabis resin. A total of 175 exhibits were seized from the storage location.

At the same time, SOCT officers attended the Ansari home address and arrested Salman’s wife Juhi Ansari for money laundering.

Financial investigations revealed that Salman Ansari had over 11 bank accounts in his name, with a credit turnover of £1.09m, which vastly outweighed any declared or legitimate income expressed to HMRC. Between March 2018 and September 2021, over 158 transactions were made from Salman Ansari to his wife Juhi Ansari, totalling more than £265,0000 and during the same time frame Juhi Ansari sent over £147,000 to Salman Ansari. It was also established that Salman Ansari sent Waqas Saleem over £7,000 during April 2021 and July 2021.

Additionally, various complex money laundering techniques were utilised, where funds from illicit sales were made in various cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and USD and transferred to individuals in India. Additionally, Salman sent funds to India approximating to $62,120 (around £46,458) and similarly, Juhi Ansari sent approximately $55,050 (around £41,194) also to India.

All defendants put in a plea of not guilty, however during the 6 week trial extensive evidence was put to the jury which outlined the global drug network that Ansari and Saleem had orchestrated. The jury were unanimous in the their verdict of guilty on all counts for all three defendants.

City of London Police advice to the general public

Unregulated drugs can have a devastating impact on people’s wellbeing, as without thorough testing and regulation by registered drug distributors, they can have potentially fatal results.

Never buy any drugs or pharmaceutical medicine on the black market or online, you could be putting yourself and others at risk of serious health complications.

 

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