Three men have been sentenced for their involvement in an organised crime group (OCG) responsible for smuggling billions of pounds worth of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis into the UK. The group, which spanned the UK and included criminals from the Netherlands, was brought down following an extensive investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Operating from south-east England to Scotland, the OCG supplied large quantities of drugs to other criminal gangs across the country. It is believed that the group imported more than 50 tonnes of illegal substances—equivalent to the weight of approximately 30 family-sized cars.
The operation was led by Paul Green, 59, from Widnes, Cheshire, known in the criminal underworld as “the big fella.” Earlier this year, Green was sentenced to 32 years in prison for his role in the smuggling operation. Today, his key accomplice, Sohail Qureshi, 64, was sentenced to 25 years at Manchester Crown Court.
Qureshi, from Wood Crescent in White City, London, but originally from Glasgow, was convicted of plotting to import significant amounts of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis. His critical role in the OCG included helping form alliances with Dutch criminals, which created new smuggling routes into the UK and contributed to the group’s vast drug trafficking operations.
This sentencing marks another significant victory for the NCA in their efforts to dismantle organised crime networks operating at a national level.