- Sunday, July 07, 2024
By: Pramod Thomas
A drug dealer in Luton who flaunted his illicit wealth by pouring Champagne over Rolex watches in a nightclub has been jailed for more than 15 years, The Daily Mail reported.
Mansoor Kiani, 28, tried to hide his drug-dealing activities by using an encrypted phone communication system called EncroChat.
He was arrested in November 2020 after police cracked the system as part of the UK’s biggest ever law enforcement operation by Bedfordshire Police, Operation Costello, which began in spring 2020, the report added.
After a three-day trial at Luton Crown Court, he was found guilty of conspiracy to supply and sentenced to 15 years and six months behind bars.
According to the report, the trial was shown videos of Kiani parading his illicit wealth being driven around in a Ferrari as well as his antics in the London nightclub.
Messages showed he was arranging meetings with drug and cash couriers and coordinating payments to suppliers, and deciding on codewords.
The Mail report said that Kiani was linked to a specific handle, and investigators backed this up by matching the location of his encrypted device to his other, non-encrypted phone as it connected to different mobile phone masts.
He messaged another criminal associate in central Luton to renew his subscription to the EncroChat platform in one specific exchange of messages.
“There is no doubt that Kiani was behind the distribution of multiple kilogrammes of cocaine and heroin, something which will have no doubt had a significant and harmful impact across our communities. Operation Costello is not looking at street dealers; we are going after the big players involved in fuelling local drugs markets,” Detective Inspector Tom Stean was quoted as saying by the newspaper.
“These individuals are funding lavish lifestyles off the back of violence, exploitation and the misery of others. Unexplained wealth and expensive items bought via cash are key indicators that someone may be involved in organised crime.”
