£2.4m of heroin is smuggled in

THREE members of an organised crime group were jailed for smuggling around £2.4m worth of heroin into the UK.

The trio - from Luton and Birmingham - imported drugs through UK airports, including East Midlands Airport, concealed within packages of boxing gloves, equine dentistry tools, and motorcycle gloves.

Thirteen packages were recovered containing a total of five kilos of high purity heroin.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation team estimated a further 14 kilos were imported based on records showing previous parcels linked to the crime group.

The NCA began investigating Sultan Mahmood Butt, aged 37, Nibeel Saghir, aged 34, Rizwan Ahmed, aged 34, who are all relatives from Pakistan now living in the UK, and Denise Ellis, aged 46, from Birmingham, after Border Force officers at Stansted Airport seized almost three kilos of heroin in June 2015 hidden in cobb elevators - a piece of surgical equipment for the spine.

NCA officers identified that Luton-based Butt was the head of the crime group and responsible for organising the importations from Pakistan.

Saghir was the middle man who ensured the onward delivery of the drugs to various addresses in Luton and Birmingham, with assistance from Ahmed and Ellis.

In July this year Butt, Saghir and Ahmed were all found guilty of importing heroin. Ellis pleaded guilty in September 2017.

At Birmingham Crown Court, Butt, Saghir, Ahmed were jailed for 20, 15, and 10 years respectively. Ellis’ sentencing was delayed.