GANGMAN STASHED £298,000 IN CLOSET
GRADUATE HID NEARLY £300K OF CASH, WHICH HIS BROTHERS MADE THROUGH DRUG DEALING, IN A BAG IN HIS GIRLFRIEND’S WARDROBE
A LEGAL practitioner hid a holdall containing £298,000 in cash that his brothers made from drug dealing in his girlfriend’s wardrobe and bought a BMW.
Zulfkar Sheblan, 29, from Cardiff, also hid a safe full of receipts for designer clothes and watches bought from expensive shops around the world.
Speaking at Cardiff Crown Court, prosecutor Catherine Richards said Sheblan played an “important role” by concealing and converting the cash.
His brothers Tamar, Ali and Hayder were jailed in January for their roles in a conspiracy to supply high purity cocaine.
Police officers recovered several kilos of cocaine, along with £450,000 in cash, and expensive clothes and jewellery worth around £100,000 during Operation Nightjar.
Ms Richards said: “The prosecution case is that this defendant was aware his brothers were dealing in cocaine and making significant profits.”
She told the court he played an “important role” in concealing and converting the cash, enabling his brothers to continue supplying cocaine.
Prosecutors said Zulfkar Sheblan converted £13,750 of criminal property in April 2015 by buying a BMW. The court heard he travelled to the West Midlands and negotiated a cash sale. He admitted concealing £298,960 of criminal property between August 15 and August 18, 2016.
Ms Richards said the defendant was in a relationship with Eve Davies, who lived with her family in Pontypridd.
The court heard they had been in a relationship for about two months at the time and he “gained her confidence and trust”.
Prosecutors said he took her on holiday to Dubai, then soon afterwards, asked her to keep a bag in her wardrobe.
Ms Richards said: “He involved her and her family in the criminal behaviour of his family.”
The court heard the bag contained a safe full of receipts for “very expensive” designer clothes and watches bought from “expensive shops” around the world.
Prosecutors said on August 16, 2016, police found a rucksack containing 1.5kg of cocaine on a street in Cardiff, which linked his brothers to a wider multi-million pound drug network.
Zulfkar Sheblan admitted hiding a holdall containing more than £298,000 in cash in his girlfriend’s wardrobe.
Police seized the bag and the safe. Ms Davies said she felt like “a fool” and “had never felt so bad in her life”.
The defendant was interviewed by police in August 2016 and August 2017 and answered “no comment” to all questions.
Prosecutors argued it was an aggravating feature that innocent people were involved in serious offending.
Zulfkar Sheblan, of Bishop Hannon Drive in Fairwater, admitted concealing criminal property and converting criminal property.
Benjamin Waidhofer, defending, stressed his client had no previous convictions.
He said the defendant knew his brothers were drug dealers, but did not understand the full extent of what they were involved in.
Mr Waidhofer argued Zulfkar Sheblan played a limited role, under direction, adding: “He did as he was told”.
He emphasised his client was not a drug dealer and said he was not motivated by personal gain.
The court heard he had a degree in civil engineering from the University of South Wales and was studying to become a member of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives.
Mr Waidhofer said the defendant had been working as a senior case handler for Admiral Law and described the offending as “a foolish mistake”.
He said Ms Davies and her family continued to support him and read out several character references.
Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: “It is obvious her family were not concerned in any illegal activity. She had absolutely no idea as to what you were involved in.”
He noted the defendant put his girlfriend and her family “in peril” and said the defendant went into the offending “with his eyes open”.
The judge said he had to take into account the underlying offence and jailed Zulfkar Sheblan for 27 months.
Tamar Sheblan, 34, of Glyn Collen, Pentwyn, was previously jailed for 16 years and two months. Ali Sheblan, 23, and Hayder Sheblan, 25, of the same address, were each jailed for eight years.