Indian-origin man in UK jailed for drug smuggling, money laundering
By Press Trust of India: An Indian-origin crime gang boss is serving an eight-year-10-month jail sentence after admitting to drug smuggling and money laundering charges in a British court docket docket.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said its officers proved that Raj Singh (45) from Surrey in south-east England ran an organised crime group and repeatedly labored together with Waqas Iqbal (41) to buy and promote Class A drugs and firearms.
The duo moreover consider to launder money and ship ketamine to Canada. In February, Singh — whose full title is Rajinder Singh Bassi — pleaded accountable to charges of supplying Class A banned substance cocaine, conspiracy to supply Class B banned substance ketamine and money laundering at Guildford Crown Court.
He moreover admitted to assault in a separate matter, when he was involved in a pub battle, via which he kicked a police officer’s leg as she tried to restrain him.
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His sentence consists of 16 months for inflicting exact bodily harm to the officer, who required vital rehabilitation on her knee and may’t return to frontline policing on account of accidents.
The NCA revealed particulars of the case this week after Iqbal was sentenced to 12 years in jail on the same court docket docket in southern England on Friday after he admitted conspiracy to import Class A drugs, conspiracy to modify a prohibited weapon and money laundering.
“Though Iqbal and Singh operated within the London area, they had criminal connections in multiple countries within mainland Europe and further afield,” said Dean Wallbank, NCA operations supervisor.
“Like other high-end dealers, Iqbal and Singh are toxic and responsible for causing very serious levels of harm to society. They didn’t care what bloodshed the guns and drugs led to, just as long as they made money. Protecting the public from the threats of Class A drugs and firearms is a priority for the NCA,” he said.
The NCA caught the duo after intercepting their messages to buy and supply Class A drugs and weapons on the encrypted communications platform EncroChat.
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They weren’t acknowledged by their precise names on EncroChat nevertheless by “handles”, with Singh as Salmonagent and Iqbal as Ghostshooter. The important cellphone proof moreover confirmed the pair conspiring on firearms particulars.
The duo have been held as part of the NCA-led Operation Venetic, the UK response to the takedown of EncroChat in 2020 after the messages between Singh and Iqbal revealed how vital their offending was.
