A nightclub doorman has been jailed for eight years for drug smuggling, writes Laura Hatcher.
Sohail Kursheed, 35, was arrested in October 2012 for importing 1.8kilos of high purity heroin in concealed consignments through Heathrow Aiport, with one of the shipments to be sent to his home in Pinkwell Avenue, Hayes .
The drugs were hidden in items such as handbags, sheets, rugs and cushions on a flight from Pakistan. Forensic tests gave an estimated street value of around £130,000.
Kursheed was bailed pending further enquiries, but he later failed to attend the police station where he would have been charged.
After a six month investigation led by the National Crime Agency (NCA) with assistance from Police Scotland and HMRC officers, Kursheed was tracked down to an address in East Kilbride.
He was arrested and taken back to London to face charges of attempting to import class A drugs.
He appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Tuesday, November 4, where he admitted the charged and was sentenced to eight years in jail.
Senior investigating officer for the NCA’s Border Policing Command, Paul Bolton said: “Kursheed played a lead role in these importations and consequently he would have expected to make a significant amount of money from them.
“After his arrest he knew he was in trouble and fled to Scotland, thinking that we wouldn’t be able to find him.
“But working closely with our law enforcement colleagues in Police Scotland and HMRC we tracked him down and he was forced to face justice.”
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