UK: Education firm 'was front for heroin smuggling'

By Robert Sutcliffe

The director of a Bradford-based company which was set up to help students find college places has gone on trial accused of involvement in heroin smuggling and money-laundering.

Yorkshire College Ltd was formed in 2004 to help students from overseas to gain qualifications and college placements, but Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that director Roohul Amin and some of his colleagues were allegedly part of a smuggling conspiracy involving heroin worth almost £650,000.

Amin, of Raglan Terrace, Bradford, also ran the international money transfer business AA Travel in Leeds Road, Bradford, with co-defendant Ali Iftikhar, and prosecutor Peter Moulson alleged that in 2007 just over £1m passed through its hands.

In November 2007 alone more than £500,000 was transferred by the company, a month when parcels containing heroin had arrived.

Amin is one of five defendants who have denied conspiracy to smuggle heroin and money-laundering. Iftikhar, 39, of Thornbury Crescent, Bradford, Mohammed Alamgir, 25, of Tyne Street, Bradford, Mohammed Faisal, 31, also of Tyne Street, Bradford, and his wife Patricia Malicka, 30, of the same address also deny the charges.

The jury heard that Faisal, Malicka and Faisal's younger brother Alamgir were also on the staff at Yorkshire College Limited.

"The crown say the defendants were involved by way of an agreement, a conspiracy, to smuggle heroin from Pakistan to England,'' said Mr Moulson.

"Principally addresses and or personnel were made available so that the heroin secreted in parcels of clothing sent from Pakistan could be safely received.''

Just under 13 kilos of heroin was seized or intercepted after various parcels were examined at the Revenue and Customs/ Parcel Force depot in Coventry.

Mr Moulson described in detail how once the consignments of heroin were substituted "controlled deliveries'' of the packages were made by undercover police officers to their intended addresses in Bradford.

The jury heard that two men Ijaz Rahim and Shazhad Khan had already been convicted in respect of their involvement with the heroin.

In relation to AA Travel Mr Moulson alleged that expert accountancy evidence would show that in 2007 £1,047,721 passed through its hands and that amount could not be reconciled with the accounting records or other documents.

An inspector concluded that there was a failure to have anti-money laundering procedures in place, there was ignorance of the requirement to report suspicious transactions to the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and a failure to confirm the identity of customers.

He alleged Iftikhar's income had increased from just over £9000 in 2006 to more than £168,000 in 2007 with cash deposits in excess of £140,000.

The trial continues.

Source: Yorkshire Post