Three West Yorkshire men jailed over plot to import £1m of cannabis hidden in candles
A total of four people have been jailed for 19 years over the scheme
Last updated 27th Mar 2025
Four men, including three from West Yorkshire, have been jailed for a combined 19 years as part of a plot to import cannabis disguised as candles.
It comes after 182kg of the Class B drug was intercepted by the Border Force at Tilbury Docks in April 2023.
It's believed the drugs, which were in pots disguised as Citronella candles, were worth around £1m.
They'd been imported from Spain and were addressed to a business in the Bootle area of Merseyside.
Steven Garbutt, 64, of Middleton Park Road, Leeds, was found guilty after trial at Liverpool Crown Court and sentenced to six years.
Raja Hamid Ali, 39, of Thornbury Ave, Bradford, was found guilty after trial and sentenced to five years and six months.
Shahrukh Ali, 28, of Kenley Mount, Bradford, was found guilty after trial and sentenced to four years.
Ian Hannah, 56, of Liverpool Road, Lydiate, pleaded guilty prior to trial and was sentenced to four years and three months.
Detective Inspector Paul McVeigh said: “This case highlights the capabilities we have in teaming up with law enforcement colleagues across the UK to track and catch serious organised crime groups.
“The quantities of drugs being imported were significant and the group stood to make a great deal of money from selling it on the streets of Merseyside via other criminals.
“This is yet another example where cannabis is proven to be a drug with concrete links to serious organised crime, and in fact is not a harmless drug at all.
"We will continue to work closely with colleagues nationally and internationally to take down gangs like this and put them behind bars so that they cannot bring harm to our communities."