Birmingham Crown Court Sentencing Results

Adam Vorster, 41, of no fixed address, was present at a meeting in Allman Road, Sutton Coldfield, on 10 April 2024. He was next to a silver Honda CR-V when Mohamoud Mahamoud arrived in a white Peugeot Partner van and passed a black holdall containing 21 kilograms of cocaine to the Honda. Police intervened and seized the holdall, then discovered additional holdalls and bags in the van containing a further 81 kilograms of cocaine, with an overall street value of up to £10.2 million. Vorster admitted conspiracy to supply a class A drug.

Benjamin Holt, 43, a dog breeder from Horam, East Sussex, was the driver of a silver Honda CR-V that was used in a drug deal on 10 April 2024 in Allman Road, Sutton Coldfield. During a prearranged meeting, Mohamoud Mahamoud transferred a black holdall containing 21 kilogram blocks of cocaine from his white Peugeot Partner van to Holt’s vehicle, while Adam Vorster stood nearby. Police arrested all three at the scene. A subsequent search revealed further holdalls and bags in the van holding a total of 81 additional kilogram blocks of cocaine, bringing the seizure to 102 kilograms with an estimated street value of up to £10.2 million. Holt admitted conspiracy to supply a class A drug.

Mohamoud Mahamoud, 29, from West Drayton, Greater London, drove a white Peugeot Partner van to Allman Road, Sutton Coldfield, on 10 April 2024. He removed a black holdall containing 21 individual kilogram blocks of cocaine from the van and placed it into the boot of a silver Honda CR-V where Benjamin Holt was waiting, while Adam Vorster was nearby. Police stopped the transfer and found three further holdalls and two bags in the van holding 81 more kilogram blocks of cocaine, making a total seizure with an estimated street value of up to £10.2 million. Mahamoud pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a class A drug.

In August 2024, Sam Job, a 26-year-old operations manager at a cash delivery company, stole £25,000 from a secure vault by moving the cash in stages into his laptop bag. He became aware of the missing cash the next day and participated in the internal investigation, frequently asking for updates. He returned £1,000 in the original bag but fled after confrontation, leaving his work phone logged into Snapchat. Messages revealed plans for a fake passport to flee abroad and searches for media coverage. He was arrested in Manchester on September 15, 2024, with £18,000 and company cash bags recovered from his car.

Danyal Aziz, 29, of Stechford, led a drug gang involved in conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin with a wholesale value of about £2.5 million over a three-month period during the 2020 Covid lockdown. The gang used EncroChat for encrypted communications. Aziz possessed a Skorpion machine gun and ammunition, discussed using it to intimidate rivals and customers owing money, and directed operations including drug deliveries and purchases. The investigation, part of Operation Venetic, uncovered over 20,000 messages and photos of bullets on his phone. He was also involved in money laundering. The Skorpion was test-fired in lab conditions, showing its high risk.

Michael Earp, 32, of Shard End, was second-in-command in the drug gang led by Danyal Aziz, handling conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin valued at £2.5 million wholesale over three months in 2020 Covid lockdown. The gang used EncroChat. Earp's car had a hidden compartment for cocaine behind the radio. The group had access to a Skorpion machine gun and three pistols. Earp received directions from Aziz on drug money deliveries and stock updates. Part of Operation Venetic investigation uncovering 20,000+ messages.

Andrew Bell, a 56-year-old Jaguar Land Rover worker and father-of-five from Solihull, participated in a tax scam referred to as 'Tommy's Tax'. He received a rebate of more than £50,000 and evaded nearly £20,000 in tax for the years 2021 and 2022 by submitting fraudulent claims, influenced by a third-party financial advisor who encouraged multiple employees to commit the fraud.

Kulwarn Chagger, aged 51, of Wolverhampton, acted as an accomplice to Ghazanfar Khan by posing as a banker over the phone to facilitate payments with false cheques in a scam targeting sellers on online marketplaces. The fraud took place during the Covid-19 pandemic from June 2020 to February 2021, resulting in over £100,000 stolen from more than a dozen victims through bounced cheques after handing over goods.

Ghazanfar Khan, aged 45, of Tipton, targeted sellers of expensive items including luxury watches, laptops and phones on Facebook Marketplace and Gumtree using a fake name. He arranged meetings to collect the items and, with accomplice Kulwarn Chagger posing as a banker, paid with false cheques that bounced. The fraud occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic between June 2020 and February 2021, defrauding over a dozen victims for just over £100,000 in total.

Kulvir Shergill headed an organised crime group that imported approximately 250kg of cocaine into the United Kingdom between February 26 and April 24, 2020, with a street value of £20 million. He used the EncroChat platform to arrange deals with contacts in the Netherlands and distribute the drugs to other organised crime groups around the country. He was arrested in 2020 following the investigation.

Craig Bentick, aged 26 from Fonthill Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool, distributed cannabis in Torquay as part of a conspiracy that transported drugs from Merseyside and Birmingham between September and November 2021.

Daniel Beattie, aged 24 from Morcroft Road, Liverpool, was involved as a courier in a conspiracy to supply cocaine, which was part of a larger operation bringing drugs from Merseyside and Birmingham to Torquay between September and November 2021.

Dean Isaac, aged 35 from Lymington Road, Torquay, distributed cannabis as part of a conspiracy that brought drugs from Merseyside and Birmingham to Torquay between September and November 2021.

Toi Banh, aged 37 from Masshouse Plaza, Birmingham, organised money laundering as part of a conspiracy that brought large quantities of cannabis from Merseyside and Birmingham to Torquay between September and November 2021.

Joshua Fullerton, aged 28 from Lincombe Drive, Torquay, organised and controlled the supply of class B drugs and money laundering as part of a conspiracy bringing cannabis and cocaine from Merseyside and Birmingham to Torquay between September and November 2021.

Jamie Hadley, aged 32 from Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, led a conspiracy that brought large quantities of cannabis from Merseyside and Birmingham to Torquay between September and November 2021. The operation involved transporting drugs and cash, which was uncovered by police investigations.

Patrik Quarless, aged 24 from Graburn Road, Formby, was involved in a conspiracy to supply cocaine as part of a gang that brought drugs from Merseyside and Birmingham to Torquay between September and November 2021.

David Sherratt was arrested following a high-speed police pursuit on the M5 and M42 motorways on 17 April, driving a black Peugeot at speeds of 120mph while transporting 36kg of cocaine, with a street value of £1.3 million, concealed in two Sports Direct bags in the car's boot. West Midlands police, supported by a helicopter, chased the vehicle before deploying a stinger to halt it. Sherratt congratulated the officers upon discovery of the drugs.

Kamlesh Vadukul was a ringleader in a crash for cash scam, submitting fraudulent repair finance claims totalling £275,548 for 39 collisions and managing payments into a bank account he opened. The group caused deliberate collisions across Walsall in the West Midlands between December 2015 and October 2016.

Raju Patel was a ringleader in a crash for cash scam, causing deliberate collisions and submitting fraudulent insurance and repair claims totalling £275,548 for 39 collisions. The group operated across Walsall in the West Midlands between December 2015 and October 2016, with funds paid into accounts linked to him.

Lewis Breen-Ledger operated under the name ‘Dobby’s Packs’ on Instagram and Snapchat to sell class A and class B drugs. He was arrested in May 2024 after police executed a search warrant at his address in Halesowen, seizing cash, cocaine, cannabis, ketamine, scales, and three zombie knives. Officers also found Harry Potter-themed items, including a rubber mask and figurine. He had been involved in drug supply since age 16 and continued dealing after being released on bail, rebranding his account. Additionally, he caused serious injury by dangerous driving in October 2022, when a woman in her 60s was hit while cycling on Narrow Lane, Halesowen, and by careless driving when a man in his 50s was hit on Dudley Road, Rowley Regis.

Gary McNally operated an illegal IPTV service called Each Online from November 2017 to June 2020, providing unauthorised access to premium content including Sky Entertainment, Sky Sports, and Sky Movie channels. He used legitimate NOW TV accounts to facilitate illegal streaming, with over 2,000 subscribers during a world championship boxing match in February 2018. Authorities seized digital equipment, including laptops and hard drives, from his property in Birmingham following an investigation by Sky and West Midlands Police.