A 35-year-old man from Wembley has been jailed for seven years for his role in an organised gang which imported cocaine and heroin into the UK from Europe.

Omar Assaf pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs in August and was sentenced alongside two other gang members at Harrow Crown Court on Thursday (October 13).

Assaf was met by 45-year-old Debbie Reid, who travelled to and from France three times using the Channel Tunnel in March and April this year.

Reid, of Gorhambury in St Albans, Herfordshire, also pleaded guilty to the same charge and was jailed for six years and eight months.

Debbie Reid

'Blatantly smuggled drugs'

DC Andrew Walker, of the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command, said: “Reid was seen to blatantly smuggle the drugs in a carrier bag, making no attempt to hide them.”

“This police operation has successfully dismantled a network of sophisticated criminals, who despite making use of encrypted mobile devices, did not manage to evade capture.”

On April 6, Reid returned to the UK from France followed by police and was seen removing an orange carrier bag from her vehicle.

Followed by police

At the same time Assaf, of Hillview Close, was seen collecting a third gang member, 45-year-old Aydin Aziz, and the pair drove to Reid's address.

Aydin Aziz

Reid handed the orange bag to Assaf at the property, and he hid it in the passenger footwell of a vehicle, followed by police.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but Assaf's car rammed them before Assaf and Aziz fled on foot.

'Central to this network'

The two men and Reid were arrested and a search of Assaf's vehicle revealed the orange back contained six wraps – two kilograms of cocaine and two kilograms of heroin.

Aziz, of The Ridgeway in Enfield, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

He was jailed for seven years.

DC Walker added: “Debbie Reid, as the importer, was central to this network, with Omar Assaf and Aydin Aziz responsible for the onward distribution of the the drugs.”