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Operation Beanbag - Four men share 24-year prison sentence
Top (l-r) Johal, Chauhan, Flores. Bottom (l-r) Bhathal, Hayre, Mahngar, Mulla
Four men have been sentenced today (Monday April 27) to a combined total of nearly quarter of a century in prison, after Leicestershire Constabulary uncovered a drug distribution network responsible for supplying Class A B and C drugs throughout England.
Kuldip Singh Hayre (41) of Nottingham Road in Loughborough, Paldip Mahngar (32) of Sherbourne Drive, Hilton, Debryshire, Dalvinderdev Johal (29) of Vine Place, Hounslow and Euzebia Flores (25) of Burbage Drive, Derbyshire received a combined total total of 24-years imprisonment today.
Two more defendants, Sai Chauhan (33) of Arthur Street, Derby and Jasvir Bhathal (31) of Shireoaks Close, Debry are due to be sentenced in May. A seventh defendant, Jumaid Mulla of Nottingham Road in Loughborough, has already started a 12-month sentence for possession with intent to supply class C.
During the nine month operation officers from Leicestershire's Special Operations Unit tracked the collection and delivery of drugs to locations across the country including Hampshire, Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, the West Midlands and London.
They were also able to prove nearly £2 million changed hands during that nine-month period but believe the total figure could have been much higher.
Codenamed Operation Beanbag, the lengthy and intricate investigation began in September 2006 after a covert investigation commenced into the suspected activities of Leicester man, Kuldip Singh Hayre.
This led to the discovery of a highly organised drugs syndicate responsible for supplying millions of pounds of drugs bound for Britain's streets.
Hayre ran the Leicestershire side of the business with a counterpart in Derbyshire, Paldip Mahngar.
Hayre and Mahngar used Dalvinderdev Johal to collect and deliver the drugs under the guise of a legitimate courier. Deliveries were disguised as parcels and collected in a van previously registered to a courier firm. They also hired vehicles purporting to be from a genuine courier firm to try and divert suspicion and hide their activities.
Two further defendants, Euzebia Flores and Sai Chauhan dealt with the collection of payment for the drugs and fed this back to Jasvir Bhathal. His role was to look after the money collected by the group and feed it back to Hayre and Mangha.
Detective Inspector Joe Elliott who led the investigation said: "These men ran a highly organised, professional operation and thought they were a step ahead of the law.
"They were very careful to disassociate themselves from one another in an attempt to prevent us linking the money to the drugs.
"Hayre was found to have used 22 mobile phones throughout the investigation, all registered to different names, changing mobiles regularly in an effort to hide his activities from the police.
"There's no denying this was top tier drugs supply. These men were supplying middle-level dealers who then fed down to street dealers. By unravelling their operation we have been able to prevent a large quantity of drugs hitting the streets of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and much further a field.
"We know they supplied to dealers in Loughborough and Leicester city centre, but we also tracked them to London Birmingham, Warwickshire, Nottinghamshire, and West Yorkshire as well as port cities such as Portsmouth, Southampton and Bristol."
The investigation came to a head in June 2007 when an enforcement operation was undertaken supported by Derbyshire Police and officers from Leicestershire's Tactical Support Group.
Warrants were issued at 38 addresses, three of which were being used as distribution centres for the drugs.
Officers seized £20,000 cash, quantities of amphetamines, cannabis bush, cannabis resin and various other drugs paraphernalia as well as evidence of much larger drugs deals involving class A drugs such as Ecstasy. The seventh defendant, Jumaid Mulla was also arrested at this time and has already been sentenced to 12-months imprisonment.
Police were able to prove £1.9 million cash was collected by the group the nine month period between the start of the operation and the enforcement phase. Apart from Bhathal, none of the men were in employment but all lived above their means. They were careful however not to live too lavish a lifestyle to avoid suspicions being raised. A further trial is due to be held for seizure of assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Leicestershire Officers were also able to pass on the names of potential drug dealers to other police forces after tracking the deliveries made by Johal.
DI Elliott explains: "In one two-day period Johal, who posed as a legitimate courier, wearing a uniform and carrying a clipboard, drove 1,200 miles collecting and making deliveries of drugs on behalf of the group, tracked all the way by Leicestershire officers.
"We were able to pass these addresses on to other forces who could then launch their own local investigations. To date at least 18 other people have been charged or cautioned for drugs offences and we have prevented the supply of drugs to countless other dealers.
"It took nine months of surveillance and intense investigation for us to be in a position where we had the evidence to enforce. These kinds of covert operations naturally require cost and human resource. I'd therefore like to thank all the officers involved for their efforts and our Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships for helping to fund this investigation.
"Drugs destroy communities and ruin people's lives. They fund crime and fuel further crime. We hope today's sentences reassure people in Leicestershire, Rutland and Derbyshire that a substantial distribution network has been disbanded and seven people are behind bars.
"I also hope it sends out an equally strong message to other criminals who think they are untouchable that we will use all the powers available to us and take all the steps necessary, to bring you to justice.
The Defendants
Kuldip Singh Hayre (DOB 13/11/67)
- Living and arrested in Loughborough
- Pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply class C and Supply class C, Possession of class A and possession of two prohibited weapons (CS Spray) at Derby Crown Court on Friday 8 July
- Sentenced to 6 years in total. Six years for the supply Class C charges, no extra tariff for the possession of class A and three years for the possession of prohibited weapons to run concurrently.
Paldip Singh Mahngar (DOB: 06/07/1976)
- Arrested at home address in Hilton, Derbyshire
- Pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply Class A B and C at Leicester Crown Court on Friday 4 July
- Sentenced to 9 years in total. Seven for the supply of class C, no extra tariff for the supply class B and two years for the supply of class A to run consecutively.
Dalvinderdev Singh Johal (DOB: 01/05/1979)
- Living in Derby. Arrested in Hounslow, London
- Pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply Class and C at Leicester Crown Court Friday 4 July
- Pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply Class A and B at Leicester Crown Court on November 10
- Sentenced to 5 years in total. Five years for the supply class C charges, three for the supply class A, two for the supply class B all to run concurrently.
Jumaid Mulla (DOB: 11/07/1979)
- Living and arrested in Loughborough
- Pleaded guilty of possession with intent to supply Class C on Friday 4 July at Leicester Crown Court
- Sentenced to 12 months
Sai Kiran Chauhan (DOB: 28/09/1975)
- Arrested at home address in Derby
- Found guilty of Conspiracy to supply Class A B and C at Leicester Crown Court on Friday November 28
- To be sentenced on May 15
Jasvir Bhathal (DOB: 29/04/1977)
- Arrested at home address in Littleover, Derbyshire
- Monday 10 November pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply class C Leicester Crown
- Found guilty of Conspiracy to supply Class A and B and at Leicester Crown Court on Friday November 28
- To be sentenced on May 15
Euzebio Chev Flores (DOB: 25/05/1983)
- Arrested at home address in Alveston, Derbyshire
- Pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply class C at Leicester Crown on Friday 4
- Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B on 10 November
- Found guilty to Conspiracy to supply Class A at Leicester Crown Court on Friday November 28
- Sentenced to 4 years in total. Four years for the supply class C charge, three for the supply class A charge, two for the class B charge, all to run concurrently.
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