Gang that ran Bucks drug empire jailed for 129 years

The final three men involved in the 13-strong organised crime group (OCG) drug network were locked up yesterday (Wednesday), marking the end of an extended police investigation.

The gang was run by brothers Ansar and Ajmal Akram, both from Hemel Hempstead, who were selling vast quantities of cocaine to gangs and wholesale drug dealers in Bucks, Northampton, Luton, Dorset, Yorkshire and Leicester.

On Wednesday, three more men received lengthy sentences at St Albans Crown Court for their involvement in the vast drug network.

Vast amounts of cash were seized in evidence during the investigation [ERSOU]

READ MORE: Brothers who ran Bucks drug empire and ‘caused misery’ jailed for 30 years

Taswir Mohammed, 39, of Stoke Road in Aylesbury was locked up for eight years alongside Waseem Khan, 38, from Luton and Mohammed Jahangeer, 39, from Yorkshire, who received 15 years and 11 years respectively.

Mohammed was a customer of the OCG, buying kilogram blocks of cocaine at a time to then sell across Aylesbury and the rest of Buckinghamshire. Jahangeer did the same in Sheffield, while senior gang-member Khan acted as a middleman, brokering deals around the country.

In August, OCG leaders Ansar Akram, 34 and Ajmal Akram, 31 were jailed for 15 years and 14 years respectively.

Head honcho Ansar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property, while his brother and right-hand man Ajmal was found guilty of the same charges following a trial.

READ MORE: High Wycombe drug dealer JAILED for four years

The 13 men have been sentenced to a total of more than 129 years behind bars, the biggest ever jail term secured by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, which took the lead on investigating the OCG.

Officers watched the gang members closely for six months in 2019, tracking everywhere they went and who they were doing deals with. The investigation found that the Akram brothers used encrypted phones to organise huge cocaine deals around the country.

Who were the OCG and drug network members?

• Leader: Ansar Akram, 34, of Thumpers, Hemel Hempstead. 15-year sentence.
• Second-in-command: Ajmal Akram, 31, of Thumpers, Hemel Hempstead. 14-year sentence.
• Courier orchestrator: Rahoof Khan, 27, of Thumpers, Hemel Hempstead. 11-and-a-half-year sentence.
• Courier: Wasim Afzal, 44, of St Margaret’s Avenue, Luton. 11 years and nine months sentence.
• Courier: Sarfraz Asif, 40 of Dordans Road, Luton. Four-and-a-half-year sentence.
• Courier: Jameel Khan, 27, of Winchester Street, Nottingham. 10-year sentence.
• Customer: Ahsan Mahmood, 50, of Southlands Avenue, Peterborough. 11-and-a-half-year sentence.
• Customer: Ben Lewis, 29, of St Swithins Road, Bridport, Dorset. Seven-and-a-half-year sentence.
• Customer: Ali Zarei, 26, of Derngate, Northampton. Five years and four months sentence.
• Customer: Ryan Brockley, 36, of Deepdale, Leicester. Five-year sentence.
• Middle man: Waseem Khan, 38, of Carrisbrooke Road, Luton. 15-year sentence.
• Customer: Mohammed Jahangeer, 39, of Ribston Walk, Sheffield, Yorkshire. 11-year sentence.
• Customer: Taswir Mohammed, 39, of Stoke Road, Aylesbury. Eight-year sentence.

The OCG sold huge blocks of cocaine - like this one to wholesale drug dealers

Following the final sentencing, Detective Inspector Ian Mawdseley said: “The hearing today brings to a close a lengthy and complex investigation into this nation-wide drug supply network.

“Thanks to the determination and tireless efforts of our officers, some very dangerous individuals are now facing a significant time behind bars and we’ve halted a supply of huge quantities of class A drugs into communities across the country.”

Hannah Wilkinson, Head of ERSOU ROCU, added: “Our unit uses a range of specialist tactics to tackle those at the top end of the drugs supply network and I’m really pleased that, thanks to the tenacity of our officers, we’ve secured our biggest ever combined jail sentence.

“Although criminals at the very top of the chain can seem removed from the devastating impact of drug dealing, the actions of people involved in such groups can still have terrible consequences for those living within our communities; from the vulnerable users who are exploited by the ruthless criminals out to make as much as they can, to those affected by the wide-ranging criminality that comes about as a result of drugs supply.”

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