‘Untouchable’ boss of Luton gang convicted for drugs and gun crimes

A high-ranking drug dealer has been convicted of running a drugs gang in Luton, after importing thousands of kilograms of class A drugs.

Mohammed Waqas Khan, 35, led an organised crime group based in Watford and Luton which was behind the wholesale distribution of cocaine and heroin across the country.

An Eastern Region Special Operations Unit investigation revealed Khan as the boss of a the criminal network, with a lieutenant, couriers, and subordinates storing drugs and firearms for him. Khan’s gang arranged bringing vast amounts of class A drugs into the country to sell and their messages showed they regularly sold up to 100kg a day.

Khan, of Princes Avenue, Watford, had been living in Dubai in a bid to hide from UK law enforcement, but in March 2020 he came back to his family home due to the coronavirus lockdown. His return coincided with the start of Operation Venetic, an international police operation that uncovered thousands of EncroChat message exchanges between criminals.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Dowty, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit said: “Mohammed Waqas Khan thought he was above the law and considered himself untouchable. Basing himself abroad – away from the day-to-day running of the criminality – he was happy for others to do his dirty work. However, ERSOU’s investigators built a detailed picture of how he controlled his empire, and he was confronted with an enormous package of evidence at court.”

Hertfordshire Constabulary and Bedfordshire Police searched the homes of the gang members, arresting Waqas Khan and associates Mohammed Ahmed, Aris Saghir and Zakir Farid in April 2020. Officers discovered cocaine and heroin, cash, six guns and 180 rounds of ammunition.

When investigators looked at messages sent between January and April 2020, they discovered the gang was likely to have imported and distributed hundreds, and potentially thousands, of kilogrammes of illicit drugs.

During a seven-week trial which ended on Tuesday (March 19), Michael Orishadare, 31, of New Hythe Lane, Aylesford was also found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin. He was a trusted importer of drugs who used connections in the Netherlands to import cocaine and heroin into the UK, mostly through Tilbury Docks.

Waqas Khan was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and ketamine, possession of firearms with intent to cause fear of violence and possession of ammunition.

The pair join five other Luton gang members who have already been convicted: Aris Saghir, 35, of Kenilworth Road, Luton, was Waqas Khan’s lieutenant. As well as moving and selling the drugs, he also recruited criminals and was responsible for managing the couriers.

Mohammed Ahmed, 39, of Avondale Road, Luton, was a storekeeper who kept six handguns,180 rounds of ammunition, and cocaine for the group. He was jailed for 13-and-a-half years in November 2022.

Jailed at the same time, was Mohammed Shergul Khan, 37, of Dunstable Road, Luton, jailed for 10-and-a-half years. He was a courier and storekeeper who was arrested with 23kg of cocaine and heroin and 25kg of MDMA as he waited in Luton to meet another dealer.

Aftab Ayub, 34, of Ascot Road, Luton, was stopped on the M1 with 20kg of cocaine as he tried to travel to Luton. He was jailed for eight years in November 2022.

Zakir Farid, 24, of Griffin Court, Luton, was another courier used by the OCG. He was trusted to travel to Tilbury to collect large amounts of Class A drugs and store cash on behalf of the crime group.

The four other members who have not been sentenced yet will appear at Luton Crown Court on April 26.

Detective Chief Inspector Dowty added: “This is one of the most significant operations our unit has ever been involved in and we are delighted that these incredibly dangerous men will be behind bars for a considerable time, and no longer present a threat to our communities.

“This OCG were purely motivated by profit and greed and paid absolutely no regard to the damage their activities were causing. Messages uncovered by detectives indicated they were potentially willing to kidnap and even murder those who got in their way, which just shows how vital it was to apprehend them.”