‘Fast and Furious’ driver found with drugs, gun and bat in Luton is jailed

A man from Luton has been jailed for almost seven years after he was found in possession of a gun while on court bail for other offences.
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Mohammed Parvez, 20, of Linden Road was sentenced on Friday, April 26, to six years and seven months in prison.

On Wednesday, August 15, 2018, officers suspected Parvez was dealing drugs from a car in Dunstable. As they attempted to stop the vehicle on Houghton Road, it sped off and drove at excessive speed along Park Road North.

At one point, Parvez drove the car on the wrong side of the road when travelling along Lewsey Road. As he turned into Emerald Road officers saw him put his arm out of the window and drop something out of it – later found to be wraps of cocaine.

Mohammed ParvezMohammed Parvez
Mohammed Parvez

The car continued to drive at excessive speed through Dunstable, overtaking vehicles on the wrong side of the road, and reaching speeds of between 60 and 70mph. A stinger device was deployed near Hatters Way Retail Park and the car came to a stop.

When confronted by officers Parvez said: “You loved my driving. Don’t pretend you weren’t thinking this is Fast and Furious.”

From the vehicle, officers recovered a driving license in Parvez’s name, a black phone that was constantly ringing, £60 in cash and a small white rock wrapped in clingflim. During a search of his home, officers recovered two mobile phones, empty deal bags and cash in a box in a cupboard.

He was questioned, charged and released on bail by the court.

Exhibit - gun.Exhibit - gun.
Exhibit - gun.

On 7 February 2019, Parvez was seen in Luton town centre by two PCSOs. They saw him carrying a black man bag and a baseball bat, which he concealed down his trousers. The PCSOs called for support from colleagues and followed him into a local bowling alley.

When officers arrived and detained him, Parvez was no longer in possession of the bat or the bag.

Officers found the bag hidden in a bin, with a black gun inside. When examined, experts confirmed it was a live firearm, loaded with three rounds of ammunition. Also inside the bag were timesheets relating to his job, and other paperwork registered to Parvez.

The baseball bat was found hidden under a nearby gaming machine.

When he was interviewed, Parvez inadvertently linked himself to the gun by explaining about his job and timesheets. He then made no further comment throughout the interview.

At court he was sentenced to five years for possession of a prohibited weapon, 18 months for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and four weeks for possession of a bladed article.

He was also sentenced for two years for possession of ammunition and a further ten months for dangerous driving offences to run concurrently.

Detective Chief Inspector Duncan Young said: “It’s a miracle that no serious collision occurred while Parvez was driving the car. He clearly had no regard for other road users, and was intent on getting away from the police at whatever the cost.

“Thankfully the only consequences in this case are for Parvez himself, who now has plenty of time to familiarise himself with the Highway Code.

“Parvez’s expectation here was clearly that he would get away with dangerous driving, drug dealing and handling weapons. He will now face the reality of time in prison, away from his friends, family and home comforts, but I hope he’ll at least be able to rethink his life choices.

“We continue to put people behind bars for carrying weapons and dealing drugs, and our community teams have been closing cannabis factories across the county.

“Yet still the message isn’t getting through, so I will make this clear: if you are involved in drug criminality, gang criminality, or you carry firearms or weapons, we will come after you.”