Dad's double life running £40m crime gang exposed after cops hack his phone and raid his luxury home
13.09.2022 - 17:53
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A dad-of-two who led a double life as a ‘lynchpin’ of a £40 million drugs conspiracy has been jailed for 23 years. Bolton businessman Irtiza Bashir used Encrochat to concoct elaborate plans to smuggle huge quantities of cocaine and cannabis from Holland to the North West.
Bashir, 46, kept ‘meticulous’ notes on his Encrochat profile ‘Weststreet’, including a proposed import route and plans to hide the drugs in frozen chicken vans , a court heard. There were also references to more than 500kg of heroin, cocaine, and cannabis.
His plans came crashing down when the Encrochat system - used exclusively by members of organised crime groups to plan criminal activities - was hacked by police. He was arrested on December 16 2021 after police raided his luxury home in Chorley New Road, Lostock, as well as his company - Globe Recycling Services, in Haslingden, Lancashire.
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In the Encrochat messages, police uncovered photographs that were clearly taken from inside Bashir’s home. He denied any involvement in the drugs conspiracy and instead claimed that the device had been used by his brother who had been visiting from the Middle East.
After a nine day trial, a jury of eight women and four men at Bolton Crown Court unanimously found him guilty of two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, conspiracy to fraudulently evade prohibition on importation of Class A drugs, conspiracy to fraudulently evade prohibition on importation of Class B drugs, and conspiracy to possess criminal property.
Defending, Peter Wright KC told the court that Bashir is