Luton men jailed for over 46 years for selling millions of pounds worth of heroin and cocaine

Two criminals from Luton will spend more than 46 years behind bars for selling cocaine, heroin and a handgun after an investigation by Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

They were part of a trio uncovered after police arrested the third member as he travelled back to his home in London after buying a gun in Manchester in April 2020.

After watching a package being exchanged, officers pulled over 36-year-old Imad Musa-Hamid, from Cromwell Road, London, in his Renault Kangoo van on the M1 near Luton and arrested him on suspicion of possession of a firearm.

A semi-automatic gun was found concealed compartment in the back of the van, with 49 rounds of ammunition. Laying on the front passenger seat was an encrypted phone linked to the Encrochat network.

Analysis of the device revealed he was acting as a courier for 42-year-old Mohammed Imran Khan, of Cranleigh Gardens, Luton, and Zain Yusuf, 30, of Montrose Avenue, Luton, who had arranged to sell the weapon to another Encrochat user.

Messages around the time of Musa-Hamid’s arrest revealed that the pair were frantically trying to contact him, unaware that he was in police custody. They even drove along his route trying to find his van.

In June 2020, Yusuf was arrested at his Luton home on suspicion of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and selling a firearm.

Officers seized packets of cocaine and cannabis from his address and also found evidence that he had tried to flush suspected cocaine down his toilet. Two broken, wet mobile phones were also found in a bin. Mohammed Imran Khan was arrested the next day.

The trio’s messages indicated that they could have been involved in a conspiracy importing and distributing 990 kilogrammes of cocaine and nine kilogrammes of heroin between January and June 2020. Chats also suggested more than £8.5 million in cash had been exchanged during the same period, with their conversations exposing their roles in the criminal underworld.

Along with another associate, Mohammed Imran Khan led the organised crime group and had criminal contacts across the UK. He was directly behind arranging the sale of drugs and the gun.

While Zain Yusuf was predominantly a customer of Mohammed Imran Khan, he had a key role in organising the firearm exchange and drug distribution. Messages also linked him to another crime ring.

Imad Musa-Hamid was a trusted courier, with messages showing that he knew what goods he was transporting. Having supplied with vehicles with ‘hides’, he concealed drugs and the gun to avoid detection.

They each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, selling/transferring a semi-automatic firearm, and selling/transferring ammunition.

At Luton Crown Court on Wednesday (June 21), Mohammed Imran Khan was jailed for 23 years and seven months while Zain Yusuf was jailed for 22 years and six months – this also included a separate fraud offence.

Imad Musa-Hamid was handed an 18 year and 10 month sentence.

Detective Inspector Ian Mawdesley, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), said: “This investigation involved three highly organised criminals, whose illicit dealings not only looked to profit from dangerous drugs but also presented a clear and unacceptable risk to the public through the sale of a gun.

“Through the data received as part of Operation Venetic - an international investigation into the criminal encrypted communications tool Encrochat - we have been given an additional insight into how criminal networks often work together for their own illicit gains.”

DI Mawdesley added: “The sentences handed down to these men are significant and should be a stern warning to criminals operating in eastern England; ERSOU has the skills and capabilities to identify and apprehend you, and we will strive to put you before the courts.”