Heroin Smuggling Ring Receives 81 1/2 Years Inside

The remaining three members of a gang of heroin traffickers began prison sentences today after a Channel Tunnel ‘suicide run’ when £30m worth of the drug stuffed into the back of a BMW was simply driven past Customs men.

The 356 kilos of heroin – packed into 13 cardboard boxes – was placed in the rear and piled on the back seats of the car, belonging to the smuggler’s elderly mother, and is believed to be the largest ever UK police seizure of its kind.

Unfortunately for the gang they were being monitored by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Central Task force and were arrested during a handover at a motorway service station.

They are: (l. to r.) Dutchman Patrick Kuster, 37, already serving to 26 years; Harminder Chana, 32, of Upton Lane, East Ham, who received 17 years; Atif Khan, 35, of Brixham Gardens, Ilford, Essex, 15 1/2 years and businessman Abdul Matalib Shammin Rob, 30, of Cavendish Gardens, Ilford, 23 years.

All either pleaded guilty or were convicted at Kingston Crown Court of conspiracy to supply heroin as a result of the Met’s Operation Frant.

Kuster was the courier who drove the uncut heroin from Holland – gambling he would not be stopped at checkpoints – even parking the car (pic. far r.) unattended outside a Calais B&B overnight.

On April 3, last year, Kuster met Chana off the M20 in Kent and police watched as three of the boxes – containing 50 kilos of heroin - were loaded into his Seat Leon.

Officers swooped and Kuster said: “My life is over,” when cautioned, with Chana claiming: “"Look officer I'm going to be honest with you, I've never done anything like this before but I'm trying to get back into work and I was getting paid to do it."

Later that day, detectives arrested Khan outside his home and he was found in possession of a set of keys for a 'safe house' in York Close, Beckton.

A search of this address uncovered a blue Ikea bag containing 20 kilos of cocaine bulking agent Mannitol.

A set of electronic scales, a metal press, a counterfeit money discriminator, numerous mobile phones, latex gloves and written correspondence were also found at the address.

He confessed he was expecting to receive the 50 kilos of heroin collected by Chana.

Rob was arrested at his home on November 11. He was responsible for arranging and financing three boxes of the imported heroin.

In April 2000, a Belgian court convicted Rob in his absence of a multi-million pound drugs supply and sentenced him to six years imprisonment.



On October 3, 2007, at Utrecht District Court, Holland, Kuster was acquitted of transporting heroin from Holland to the UK.

Detective Inspector Marion Ryan said; "This is the biggest heroin seizure we know of, by any UK police force.

“Today's result is testimony to how the Met has prevented the serious consequences this conspiracy could have had on people's lives.

“An average addict consumes 0.438 kilos of heroin in 12 months, so this seizure would be enough to keep more than 8,000 addicts in habit for a year.

"This gang had a flagrant disregard for law, blatantly transporting these dangerous drugs in the back of their cars.

“The Met will not tolerate the use and supply of class A drugs and we continue to tackle any organised criminal networks involved in this highly illegal activity."

Muggers Fatally Knife Hero

A have-a-go hero who chased two bag-snatchers moments after they mugged a defenceless woman from behind was fatally stabbed when he caught up with the robbers.

Indian-born Sukhwinder Singh, 31, was knifed twice in the chest in Uphall Road, Barking, Essex, on January 8 and pronounced dead at the Royal London Hospital later that day.

The Homicide and Serious Crime Command are appealing for witnesses and information about the suspects, two black males aged in their 20’s or 30’s.

At about 6.40 pm a 28-year-old woman was a walking home from Barking Railway Station and was pounced upon in Loxford Road by two males, robbing her of her bag.

Sukhwinder (pictured) chased the suspects along Victoria Road into Uphall Road, where he caught up with one of them and was stabbed.

Detective Inspector John Sandlin, from the HSCC said: "This is a tragic death of a man who was killed for attempting to stop others committing crime, and our thoughts are with Sukhwinder's family.

“I would also like to reassure the wider community that tragic events such as these are very rare.

"I am appealing for anyone that knows who committed this crime, or who has any information about those who committed this crime, to do the right thing and come forward and contact police.

"My officers are also keen to hear from anybody who witnessed the initial robbery, the actual altercation that lead the stabbing and additionally anyone who may have seen any persons matching the suspects description fleeing the Uphall Road area.

"It is also possible that the suspects may have abandoned the bag stolen and I appeal to anyone who may find a brown leather shoulder bag, to contact police.

“It may be that it has signification clues that could help solve this awful crime."

New Year's Eve Killing: Man Charged

A man has appeared in court accused of murdering New Year’s Eve peacemaker Frazer Bradshaw who was beaten to death when a pub fight spilled into the street.

The 33 year-old victim (pictured) suffered fatal injuries outside the St. James public house, High Road, Cowley, Uxbridge, in the early hours of January 1.

An ambulance rushed him to Charing Cross Hospital where he was treated for serious head injuries, but after three days on a life-support machine he tragically passed away on January 4.

Witnesses say Mr. Bradshaw was trying to break up a fight between two groups at the private party

Homeless Nathan Doherty, 20, appeared in custody at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court charged with murder and was remanded in custody to the Old Bailey for a plea and case management hearing on April 15.

Two other suspects, aged 26 and 21, were arrested on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm and have been bailed pending further police enquiries.

Another suspect, aged 23, has been arrested on suspicion of murder and is also currently on police bail.

Fake Cop Fools Family With eBay Uniform

A fake cop who bought a police uniform on eBay tricked family and friends – including his wife – into believing he was a specialist firearms officer who protected the Queen has been jailed for 20 months.

Stuart Howatson, 31, of Millside Court, Bewdley, Worcestershire, lived a fantasy life for several years, claiming he was also employed by London’s Metropolitan Police as a dog handler or was a senior officer on sabbatical.

He convinced friends and family at his 2006 wedding former Met Commissioner Sir John Stevens would be guest-of-honour, even setting a place for the top cop, then explained in his groom’s speech security issues scuppered the invitation.

After honeymooning at a friend’s Spanish villa Howatson offered to buy the property for £720,000 cash, claiming a recent inheritance eliminated the need for a mortgage.

He prevaricated for nearly two years, stalling the supposed purchase with a series of bounced cheques and excuses.

He even created false bank statements showing monthly deposits from ‘Met Police’ and ‘MPA’, in attempts to prove his finances were sound, while taking several free breaks at the £1200-a-week property.

In 2007 he gave an educational talk, in uniform, at a nursery school where a family friend worked, talking about police work to the children and showing them examples of police batons.

Howatson was arrested at his home in October 2008 after intelligence about his activities was passed to the Met’s Anti-Corruption Command.

Officers examined a number of Howatson’s computers and discovered a number of indecent images of children, for which he was further arrested.

He pleaded guilty over several hearings at Worcester Crown Court to: possession of articles of police uniform; possession of an offensive weapon; false accounting; fraud by false representation and possession of and making indecent images of children.

In sentencing, the judge described him as “a common trickster and a conman”.

Detective Inspector Claire Moxon, of the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards, said: “Howatson went to great lengths to maintain a long-running deceit, taking advantage of the trust placed in him by the people around him.

“His behaviour has not only deeply affected his family and friends, but risked undermining the integrity and professionalism of genuine police officers everywhere.”

Cornish Culture Visits The Capital!

A drunken Camborne man, caught on CCTV kicking and slapping his girlfriend following an all-day drinking session in London, was told he might go to prison.

Near shore driller George Anthony Matthews, 27, of Higher Penponds Road, Higher Penponds, had been drinking tequila slammers and beer for hours with his girlfriend before the row suddenly broke out.

He pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court to assaulting Talutha Landry, by beating, outside Blackfriars Train Station (pictured) on November 2, last year.

“The bench has seen the recording of the offence which is quite depressing,” said Chairman Nick Anstee, the Lord Mayor of London. “We think it is a serious offence and are asking for reports. All options are open, including custody.”

Matthews, currently employed on a short-term contract in the capital, was visited that weekend by his girlfriend of three years, Ms. Landry, who did not want to press charges.

The CCTV camera captures Matthews pushing her over in the middle of the road, then pushing her over again on the pavement and landing a kick with his right foot as she lies on the ground.

Ms. Landry struggles to her feet and is pursued by Matthews who appears to grab her around the throat, slaps her face, causing her to fall again, then follows-up with another slap.

The only passer-by in the near-deserted street calls 999 and officers arrest the defendant, despite his girlfriend’s protests.

“The victim made it quite clear she was not interested,” said prosecutor Miss Regina Naughton. “The officers noticed she was rubbing her jaw and advised her to go to hospital.

“Mr. Matthew was arrested and said they had been out drinking in the West End and his memory was hazy. He had been drinking tequila slammers and bottles of beer.

“He confirmed it was him attacking his partner on CCTV and felt sick about attacking her.”

Matthews’ lawyer Mr. Roland Ellis told the court: “They went out drinking heavily all day and he can give no explanation.

“It is clearly a very nasty incident and there are no excuses and no explanation as to why this occurred.

“They are still together. They have a relationship and there have been no further incidents, in fact, this was the first,” added Mr. Ellis.

“He is mortified by this incident and has taken steps to seek counselling as to why this happened. He has already seen psychotherapist Simon Carter in Cornwall.”

Matthews was bailed unconditionally until January 26 for probation reports.

Barbican Ticketing Boss Gambles Away Stolen Money

The ticket boss of the world-famous Barbican Centre blew over £30,000 gambling online after crediting his own bank accounts in a year-long refund scam.

Ex-ticket sales manager Christopher John Todd, 35, of Cavalier Court, St. Mark’s Road, Teddington, Middlesex, was arrested after a member of his team anonymously tipped-off bosses.

First-time offender Todd pleaded guilty at City of London Magistrates’ Court that between August 21, 2008 and September 29, last year, he dishonestly abused his position intending to make a gain, namely £33,183, by refunding tickets to his account.

Prosecutor Mrs. Varinder Hayre told the court: “This defendant was employed as the ticket sales manager at the Barbican Centre and on September 29 last year the head of finance received information from an anonymous member of staff that Mr. Todd had made multiple refunds to a switch card.

“It was discovered he made several refunds to two of his Nat West Bank cards totaling £33,183.

“The refunds took place after the events and each refund had a different customer’s name.”

Todd (pictured) was investigated by the City of London Police’s Economic Crime Department.

“When interviewed he said his father was severely ill and he had succumbed to a gambling addiction as a coping mechanism and was a registered member of Paddy Power.

“The stolen money was only used to gamble with and was not used to purchase any items,” added Mrs. Hayre.

Todd’s lawyer Miss Theresa Donovan told the JP’s: “He is a man of good character. He has never been arrested in his life before and apologises profusely.

“He made full admissions and admits the amounts. He gave police all the details of how the offence came about.

“He has suffered severe depression throughout his life and has made two suicide attempts at the age of seventeen and in his mid-twenties”, explained Miss Donovan.

“His father was dying of cancer and, in fact, died some months ago and Mr. Todd had got into difficulties coping with that and developed an online gambling addiction, where all the proceeds of the offence went.”

Todd now faces a date with the Old Bailey after the magistrates decided their sentencing powers were insufficient.

“The offence is serious. This was a substantial amount defrauded from your employers,” Chairwoman Mrs. Gaye Chaney told Todd, who was committed for sentence to the Central Criminal Court on unconditional bail.

Christmas 'Peacemaker' Death: Man Charged

A man has appeared in court charged with the manslaughter of 23 year-old David Joslin, who suffered a fatal head injury when punched to the ground while acting as peacemaker after his Christmas works party.

Barry Oliver, 29, of Littleton Avenue, Chingford, was remanded in custody at Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court to appear at the Old Bailey on April 8.

On December 20, last year the deceased (pictured) became involved in a confrontation at 1.30am involving two groups of people outside jewellers ‘Strictly Silver’ in Old Church Road, Chingford.

Witnesses claim David tried to calm things down, but was knocked unconscious and taken to Whipps Cross Hospital before being transferred to Holborn’s National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery where he died on December 27.

A post-mortem at East Ham Mortuary the next day gave the cause of death as head injuries.

A homicide incident room was opened at Barking Police Station under Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald and an unnamed man and woman have been bailed until February pending further enquiries.

Surprise! Surprise! African Civil Servant Helps Illegals For Cash

A civil servant employed by the Department of Works and Pensions, who helped friends and family illegally enter and work in the U.K. –charging a total of £149,000 for his services - has been locked up for five years.

He also provided a ‘one-stop-shop’ to assist strangers – eventually helping 64 illegal immigrants to gain work as security guards and care workers – directly enabling a dozen of them to enter the country illegally.

Adekunle Odunayo Aladenika, 43, of Fawcett Estate, Clapton Common, Clapton, East London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit misconduct in a judicial or public office, conspiracy to obtain passports by deception and conspiracy to obtain a passport by deception.

An investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Fraud Squad revealed that between March 2003 and March 2007, Aladenika was providing a comprehensive service to assist anyone wishing to enter the UK.

Not only was he sponsoring visa applications, but he was signing off applications for national insurance numbers for people who were ineligible - having cloned genuine applicants' identities - countersigning their fraudulent UK passport applications, and even providing references for job hunters.

Some of the roles gained by applicants who were verified by Aladenika were those of security guards and care home workers dealing with vulnerable, elderly people.

On September 4, 2007, officers arrested Aladenika and a search of his house revealed blank DWP forms, a stolen passport, and a hand-written list detailing NI numbers of people he had researched and knew were elderly and likely to die soon.

Officers from the Economic and Specialist Crime Command discovered cash deposits totalling £149,000 had been paid into Aladenika’s bank account.

Officers believe that the money was paid to Aladenika by his customers in return for his services.

In some cases he told immigrants to use his own identity while they were living in the UK illegally.

Detective Constable Carl Hughes, of the Metropolitan Police’s Fraud Squad, said: “Aladenika was in a position of trust as a DWP employee and he showed a complete disregard of the law and his duty by catering for the illegal immigrants’ every need.

“The service he was providing facilitated the entry of 12 people illegally into the country, and the fact that he was even charging his own family and friends for his services shows how greedy and callous his behaviour was over this prolonged period of time.

“We will now look to confiscate any assets gained through criminal activity under the Proceeds of Crime Act.”

A spokesman for the DWP added: "This successful conviction came about after a joint prosecution between the DWP and the Metropolitan Police.

“The DWP always thoroughly investigate cases where there is any suspicion of wrongdoing.

“Following the investigation the Department notified the police who brought forward criminal charges. 


"The DWP is committed to ensuring any trust placed in their staff is not abused and will take the strongest action where necessary."

Jilted Husband Slashes Wife's Throat In Busy Boutique

An abusive husband, forced out of the family home following a hammer attack on his wife, butchered her with a kitchen knife at work – slashing her throat a mere feet from colleagues.

Horrified staff at the boutique discovered the blood-soaked body of 43 year-old Varsha Champaclal in the rear of the busy store moments after the fatal attack, carried out by her estranged husband.

Call-centre worker Thaker Kardam Ramanlal, 48, of Coombe Lane, Kingston, Surrey, was sentenced to life imprisonment after an Old Bailey jury convicted him of murder.

Varsha (pic. l.) split with Ramanlal (pic. r.) in August 2008, but on February 13, last year at Peacocks, Majestic Way, Mitcham, Surrey, she was followed to the back of the shop by her ex and killed.

Ramanlal admitted the crime, but tried to dodge a life sentence by only admitting manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility.

The couple, who have daughters aged 21 and 12, had a stormy marriage with Ramanlal repeatedly bullying and abusing his wife – once breaking her arm.

She called police for the first time when chased out of the family home with a hammer and through the courts forced Ramanlal to move out.

Bitter Ramanlal repeatedly threatened to kill his wife and she voiced concern for the safety of herself and her daughters.

The store’s CCTV cameras show assistant manager Varsha being followed out of sight to the rear by Ramanlal, who then leaves via the back door with the bloody murder weapon into busy surrounding streets.

Workmates quickly found Varsha and raised the alarm, but she was pronounced dead at the scene.

The next day he contacted police confessing he killed his wife and when officers arrived at Ramanlal’s flat he was nursing a superficial wrist wound.

He claimed he was not responsible for his actions and was suffering abnormality of the mind at the time of the murder.

However, he had no previous history of mental illness and had been threatening to kill his wife for some time.

CCTV also showed him buying a knife and a bottle of wine on two occasions and then making his way to his wife's work.

On the first occasion Varsha was nowhere to be seen and he gave up.

Two days later he again bought a knife and bottle of wine and returned to the store to murder his wife.

Detective Inspector Barney Ratcliffe from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: "This man was a calculated abuser, who showed no control over his temper or rage towards his family, even throughout this trial.

"The evidence brought to court was totally incriminating and showed that he had been thinking about killing his wife and planned to do so on more than one occasion.

"Tragically, Varsha Champaclal had finally managed to escape her husband's abuse and was starting a new life for herself and her daughters without him.

“I hope today that her daughters can now find a way to move on with their lives safe in the knowledge that their father is imprisoned for a long time."

Ramanlal must serve a minimum of eighteen years.

Axe-Killer Locked-Up

An axe-man who killed a drug-dealer associate – striking the victim over the back of the head with the weapon – and later confessing the crime to his girlfriend has been caged for nine years.

Iraklis Malamas, 33, of Camden Road, Holloway, visited Tony Pounal, 51, on New Year’s Eve, 2007, and used the fearsome weapon when a dispute broke out.

Malamas (pic. l.) was cleared of murdering Pounal (pic. r.), at his flat in Selden Walk, Andover Estate, Holloway, but was convicted by an Old Bailey jury of manslaughter.

Police believe the pair hatched a plan to distribute £25,000 in counterfeit notes amongst drug dealers and Malamas killed so he could keep all the cash.

The jury heard that Malamas, who was an associate of Pounal’s, went to his flat on December 31, 2007, where he hit him over the back of the head with an axe and then covered him with a blanket and continued to beat him.

The body lay undiscovered until a concerned neighbour called police on January 21 and officers found Pounal in his bedroom covered in rugs and blankets.

Malamas was arrested on February 5, 2008, in Holloway in connection with the murder and later released on police bail whilst enquiries continued.

Whilst on police bail Malamas confessed the killing to his girlfriend and gave her details of what he had done and how.

The woman tipped-off the investigation team, naming Malamas as the killer, providing the police with sufficient evidence to charge him.

Malamas was charged with the murder on the July 25, 2008.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Andy Chalmers said: "This case shows that with the support of witnesses those who are responsible for the worst crimes can be brought to account."

"The witnesses, particularly those who Malamas confessed his crime to, should be proud that they have had the courage to come forward and ensure that a brutal killer has been put in prison."

"Whilst Anthony Pounal was a drug user and drug dealer he did not deserve to die.

“I am grateful the court have considered the evidence presented to them over the course of the trial and held Malamas to account"