Crime boss Zekkam Ali, 37, pulled off a double life on £30,000 in benefits while overseeing an £8 million drug empire! This smiling gang leader was caught after a sensational police operation that uncovered his elaborate scheme. Ali and his crew spread heroin and crack cocaine across South Wales, Gloucestershire, and Somerset, recruiting teens who knew the streets well. From his base in Newport, Ali frequently travelled to Birmingham to restock, keeping his operation under wraps with a network of secretive postcode drop-offs.
A police investigation lasting a year cracked the operation using mobile messages, which exposed the sheer scale of this criminal web. With over 800 phone numbers linked, business boomed without the need for advertising, hinting at a well-oiled network.
The gang’s tactics were straight out of a crime thriller. Members were assigned specific roles from storage to street dealing. Mohammed Boota, 37, handled drug storage and accompanied Ali to source the supplies. Azim Ahmed, 27, acted as the cash collector, using taxis to sweep up daily profits. Asjad Ali, 33, was the go-to courier, making deliveries and even getting a hydraulic press set up at home for drug adulteration.
Connor Beale, 29, and Anthony Caruana, 31, kept the drugs flowing and the cash rolling in, while Sarah Chant, 32, played a supporting role, unwittingly driving deliveries. It all came to a head when Zekkam Ali attempted to return from a trip to Pakistan and was nabbed at Heathrow Airport. Cops seized vast amounts of drugs and £80,000 in cash, blowing the lid off their risky business.
In court, Prosecutor Clare Wilks described it as a “sophisticated, well-run criminal enterprise.” The gang pled guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, receiving hefty sentences ranging from suspended sentences to 15 years behind bars. From aliases to burner phones, their intricate setup stands as a stark reminder of how even the most organised crime operations can crumble.