London, Oct 28 (PTI) Two men face significant prison sentences in the UK for their role in what police described as the large-scale importation and distribution of unregulated pharmaceutical drugs from India into the UK, where they were then repackaged and distributed internationally.
City of London police foiled the estimated GBP 1 million racket and seized over 730 kgs of strong opioids and sedative drugs during the operation.
Salman Ansari, 33, will serve a six-year sentence after being found guilty of 12 counts of possession with intent to supply banned or restricted Class A, B and C drugs, one count of conspiracy to supply drugs and one count of money laundering.
Waqas Saleem, 33, was jailed for two and half years after being found guilty of similar charges at the end of a trial in London on Friday.
"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,” said Detective Constable Syed Shah, from the Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT) at the City of London Police.
"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… To those individuals who 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," he said.
A female accomplice, 32-year-old Juhi Ansari – wife of Salman Ansari, was found guilty of one count of money laundering and received a suspended sentence but will be required to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and 25 days rehab.
Husband-wife Salman and Juhi Ansari were also found to have laundered funds to India approximating over USD 117,000. They, along with Saleem, pleaded not guilty, but during a six-week trial at Southwark Crown Court, extensive evidence was put to the jury which outlined the global drug network orchestrated by the two men. The jury was unanimous in their verdict of guilty against all accused.
The three-year-long investigation involved London police working in partnership with the UK Border Force and US law enforcement bodies such as the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Customs and Border Patrol and the Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
The seizure included strong opioids such as tapentadol and tramadol, and benzodiazepines including zolpidem, zopiclone and nitrazepam.
According to the police, these 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.
"Selling and importing unapproved pharmaceutical drugs across international borders and into the US puts 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,” said Special Agent Fernando McMillan, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, New York Field Office.
“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,” added Special Agent Michael J. Krol from the HSI in New England.
The investigation dates back to October 2020 when 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 SOCT, who were able to identify Ansari and Saleem as being responsible for the shipment of the drugs and the location where they were storing the drugs.
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. This led officers to a storage unit in Wembley, north London.
Ansari and Saleem were arrested in July 2021 within the storage unit for conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and money laundering. Contained within the storage unit was a significant quantity of large cardboard boxes which contained thousands of blister packs of what purported to be pharmaceutical-grade drugs. A total of 175 exhibits were seized from the storage location.
Financial investigations revealed that Salman Ansari had over 11 bank accounts in his name, with a credit turnover of GBP 1.09 million, which vastly outweighed any declared or legitimate income expressed to the UK tax department HMRC. Between March 2018 and September 2021, over 158 transactions were made from Salman Ansari to his wife, totalling more than GBP 265,0000, and during the same time frame, Juhi Ansari sent over GBP 147,000 to Salman Ansari. It was also established that Salman sent Waqas Saleem over GBP 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.