Luton man third member of cocaine and heroin gang convicted

A man from Luton has been convicted, as part of an organised crime group, conspiring to import more than £360 million of class A drugs.

43-year-old Shakeel Razaq, of Mansfield Road, was found guilty on Tuesday (March 19) of conspiring to import and supply class A drugs through his role as a leading member of a criminal network of drug dealers.

It followed a two-week trial at Luton Crown Court, where he was found guilty of conspiracy to import and conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, as well as being found guilty of twice breaching a Serious Crime Prevention Order (SCPO), which had been given to him following a previous conviction for heroin importation.

Investigations were launched by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), with Razaq found to be responsible for an EncroChat handle which sent thousands of messages, used to organise heroin and cocaine to be flown in.

A joint operation in 2020 between ERSOU and Border Force led to the seizure of a 156kg shipment of heroin, in one of the biggest drug seizures in the UK that year.

Messages also led to the discovery that Razaq, who was found to be responsible for the UK side of the operation, as well as acting as a middleman between dealers and a supplier in Turkey, was involved in shipments totalling over 3kg of cocaine and 2kg of heroin.

If successful in importing these drugs, the ERSOU say the potential value would have been over £361 million.

Third man convicted

Razaq worked with two men, who have both previously been jailed.

One man, Denis Xhelili, formerly of New Park Avenue, London, had contacts abroad willing to hide the drugs within hollowed out pallets in shipments heading into the country. He was previously jailed for ten years.

Sulaiman Bawa, formerly of Peacock Avenue, London, was previously jailed for seven-and-a-half years for using his cargo company as a front to import drugs into the UK via air freight.

"Our region is a safer place with Razaq and his associates removed"

Detective Constable Hayley Kendall, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “Razaq is a career criminal who paid no regard for the significant harm heroin and cocaine causes.

“He’s now facing a significant spell behind bars, and our region is a safer place with Razaq and his associates removed from causing further damage to our communities.

“ERSOU’s teams of specialist investigators and analysts are committed to tackling the most entrenched criminals who believe they are beyond the reach of the law, and we will continue to work tirelessly to protect the eastern region from organised crime”.

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