Man caught with 100 grams of heroin jailed for five years
Babar Shahabi was arrested at Gatwick railway station back in 2019
A man who was caught walking across the tracks at Gatwick railway station with more than 100 grams of heroin in his bag has been jailed for five years.
Babar Shahabi, 53, and of Hardwick Road, Hove, was spotted wandering across the tracks by concerned members of rail staff, who then reported him to British Transport Police (BTP).
As officers arrived he was engaging with rail staff, although his responses were incoherent.
A search of his bag, with the intention of finding identification, uncovered large wraps of beige powder. Shahabi immediately claimed someone else had put the powder in his bag.
He was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and taken in for questioning.
In interview, he denied ever being at the station, telling detectives he fell asleep on a friend’s sofa the night before and woke up at the police station.
Analysis of the powder found in Shahabi’s bag revealed it was 109 grams of unusually pure heroin, with jury hearing evidence at trial that he must have been close to the source of the drug coming into the UK.
Detective Inspector Graham Moss said: “Shahabi’s incredibly dangerous actions at Gatwick resulted in a large haul of dangerous drugs out of circulation, him severely out of pocket and facing a substantial prison sentence.
“The events of the day could easily have ended in tragedy however and I am thankful to the members of rail staff who intervened as he casually strolled across the tracks at a busy train station.
"As Mr Shahabi now realises using the railway network to move drugs is never a good idea, because you will get caught. We have specialist teams on trains and at stations across the whole network tackling drug supply seven days a week.”