Norman Qureshi, a 32-year-old Bradford resident, and Luton resident Israr Khan, 35, who were under the surveillance of NCA investigators, were arrested in Luton on Dec. 7, 2013. Investigators say they were plotting to distribute 316 packages of heroin, which search officers found in a Jaguar shipped from Pakistan.
David Norris, NCA branch commander, said the men “were part of an international crime group planning to import hundreds of kilos of high-purity heroin into the UK.”
The two men were arrested en route to pick the car up from a garage in Dagenham.
The heroin was concealed in the car’s bumpers, central console, engine, spare wheel compartment, rear seating, dashboard and wheel arches. All of the electronics were removed in order to make room for the drugs. According to BBC News, the prosecutor, Gordon Aspden, said that the purity of the heroin was "extraordinarily high at 79 percent".
On Oct. 9, Qureshi received a 21-year jail sentence, while Khan was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
