Representational image. News18
Representational image. News18
A UK court on Saturday sentenced an Indian-origin man and his nephew for their involvement in supplying more than 100 kg of Class A banned drugs across the West Midlands region of England.
The duo have been found guilty of peddling drugs and have been imprisoned for 32 years.
Kamaljit Singh Chahal, 52, and Bhipon Chahal, 25, were given 14 years at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, when eight other gang members were also sentenced for operating a West Bromwich Organised Crime Group (OCG) supplying mainly cocaine and heroin during 2020 at the height of the COVID pandemic, with records showing they made over GBP 1.5 million during that period.
Meanwhile, a third Indian-origin man Sandeep Johal, 32, was also sentenced to 11 years in jail for his role in the gang. So, the entire gang has to serve 100 years of imprisonment.
One of the gangsters even used a van with a National Health Service (NHS) emblem with a Thank You NHS sign, common during the pandemic, to transport the drugs to avoid detection.
According to reports, the gang operated a significant Class A operation that was being carried out during the Covid pandemic.
Chief Inspector Peter Cooke from the West Midlands Police Regional Organised Crime Unit said, “We’re focused on those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime across our region. These men will now be spending nearly 100 years behind bars in total. It sends out a clear warning to others intent on supplying Class A drugs we simply won’t tolerate it.”
All 10 members of the gang appeared in court after they pleaded guilty to drug offences, including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
The gang was caught red-handed after West Midlands detectives followed a covert investigation into the group under Operation Igneous after Encrochat messages from the Chahal crime group were seized between March 26 and June 5, 2020.
With inputs from PTI
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