Drug dealer caught with £1.6 million cash stash jailed for 16 years
The amount of money recovered is the largest single seizure of criminal cash ever made by West Yorkshire Police
A drug dealer caught with more than £1.6 million mainly stashed in secret compartments in his Bradford home has been jailed following an investigation by specialist detectives.
The amount of money recovered is the largest single seizure of criminal cash ever made by West Yorkshire Police.
Officers from West Yorkshire Police’s Programme Precision initiative, which targets serious and organised crime, executed a warrant at Zulfiqar Shah’s home in Rhylstone Mount on August 7 of last year.
They recovered 2.5kg of heroin, approximately £230,000 in cash, 244g of ketamine, and 18.8kg of adulterant, which is used to mix with drugs to increase the amount.
Shah and his partner Joanne Leriche were both charged with drugs offences and remanded in custody.
Further intelligence suggested there was a large amount of cash hidden at the property and officers executed another search warrant at the address on 14 October last year.
They uncovered hidden compartments built into two of the bedroom wardrobes, containing approximately £1.4 million pounds. A total of £1,625,693.82 was recovered during the investigation.
The 58-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to supply ketamine, and conspiracy to possess criminal property in relation to the recovered cash at earlier court hearings.
Today (May 8) at Bradford Crown Court, he was sentenced to a total of 16 years and six months in prison.
Leriche, 51, was sentenced to 13 months imprisonment in February this year after pleading guilty to two counts of allowing a premises to be used for the supply of Class A and B drugs.
The seized cash will be the subject of a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Assets confiscated and forfeited under the Act are distributed to operational agencies including West Yorkshire Police to reinvest in tackling crime and keeping communities safe. A share of the money is put back into local neighbourhoods across West Yorkshire through the Mayor’s Safer Communities Fund.
Detective Inspector Chris Rukin, who led the investigation, said: “Shah was someone heavily involved in the supply of Class A drugs and the huge amount of money he was found with clearly illustrates the scale of his involvement
“This is the biggest single seizure of criminal cash in West Yorkshire and behind all that money lies the significant negative impact of the supply of illegal drugs, which fuels crime and serious violence in our communities and brings misery to the lives of individual users and their families.”
He added: “Shah has been brought to justice as a result of a detailed and comprehensive investigation by specialist officers from Programme Precision, and we hope it will provide reassurance to our communities and serve as a stark reminder to others who profit from the drugs trade of the consequences they will face.”