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Man sentenced for drugs and firearms offences
Posted on 16/12/09
Man sentenced for drugs and firearms offences
Mohammed Asif Choudary
A 35-year-old man has been jailed for nine years today, (December 15 2009) for attempting to smuggle Class A drugs into the UK and possessing a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition.
Mohammed Asif Choudary of Newtown Street, Leicester pleaded guilty to importation of heroin and possession of a Section 1 prohibited firearm, following a joint investigation by Leicestershire Constabulary and HM Revenue and Customs.
Leicester-born Choudary was initially stopped by officers from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) when he arrived at Birmingham airport on a flight from Islamabad, Pakistan, on June 11, 2009.
Choudary had internally concealed around 138 grams of heroin by swallowing 28 small packages of the Class A drug. The drugs have an estimated value of around 7,500, although this would have doubled or even trebled once cut by drug dealers.
Following his arrest Leicester officers conducted a search of his home and found the shotgun hidden under his bed along with 49 rounds of ammunition.
Detective Inspector Simon Cure, who led the investigation for Leicestershire Constabulary, said: This is an excellent example of how two agencies can work together to tackle criminality. By working closely with our colleagues at HM Revenue and Customs weve succeed in preventing a significant quantity of Class A drugs from hitting the streets and have removed a prohibited firearm from circulation.
Choudary was determined to smuggle drugs into the UK, which he potentially would have supplied to dealers in Leicester. He had no qualms about putting his own life at risk to achieve this. Now hes paying for his crimes by losing his liberty.
Drug crime and gun crime will not be tolerated and criminals like Choudary can be assured that the police, Revenue and Customs and other partner agencies are all working together to find them, prosecute them and prevent them from continuing to profit from crime."
Mike OGrady, Assistant Director of Criminal Investigation for HMRC, said: It never fails to amaze me that people take such huge risks with their health and freedom to try and makewhat they think is easy money. The reality for such drug mules is they face a real chance of dying from the moment they ingest these packages.
"However, we have succeeded, through hard work, improved intelligence gathering and the ability of our team of expert officers to disrupt this attempt to bring Class A drugs into the area.
"Our investigations, with support from Leicestershire Police, led to the discovery of a sawn off shot gun and ammunition highlighting the associated violence that goes hand in hand with the drugs trade.
He added: This is a serious offence which has a significant and damaging affect on all our communities and we would encourage anyone with information relating to illegally imported goods to contact HMRCs hotline number on 0800 59 5000 or email customs.hotline@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
Updated on 14/12/10 at 18:20
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- Man sentenced for drugs and firearms offences(Updated on 14/12/10)
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