Suspected members of an international organised crime group – arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into the importation of cocaine, heroin and cannabis worth billions of pounds – have been charged with conspiracies to import class A and B drugs.
The thirteen men, aged between 24 and 59, were apprehended during dawn raids on Tuesday across London, Manchester, Stockport, St Helens, Warrington, Bolton, Dewsbury, and Leeds.
The following individuals were charged with four counts of conspiracy to import class A drugs and four counts of conspiracy to import class B drugs – Paul Green 54, of Eccleston, St Helens; Sohail Quereshi 59, Wood Crescent, White City, London; Mohammed Ovais 42, of Bournlee Avenue, Burnage, Manchester; Ghazanfar Mahmood,49,of Green Lane, Bolton; Ifthikar Hussain 46, of Upland Grove, Leeds, West Yorkshire; Vojtech Dano 38, of Vulcan Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire; and Ivan Turtak 34, of Vulcan Gardens, Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
Khaleed Vazeer,55 of Westwood Avenue, Timperley, Manchester; Steven Martin 48, of Chorley Old Road, Bolton; Andrew Reilly,37 of Grange Park Road, St Helens; Mark Peers,54 of Norbeck Close, Warrington; Paul Ruane,53 of Bewsey Rd, Warrington; Oliver Penter ,37of Gladstone Street, Stockport, were all charged with two counts of conspiracy to import class A drugs and two counts of conspiracy to import class B drugs.
They have been remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court today.
The four men and two women from the Netherlands, who were arrested in April by the Dutch National Police on European Arrest Warrants, are currently awaiting extradition to the UK.
