WAKEFIELD CABBIE JAILED AFTER BEING CAUGHT WITH £120,000 OF CLASS A DRUGS

A licensed taxi driver from Wakefield has been jailed for six years and eight months after using his cab as a cover to transport up to £120,000 worth of cocaine.

Hasan Saghir, 26, travelled 220 miles from his home to Shepton Mallet in Somerset on 6 February to collect the package, using his cab to blend in and evade detection.

Leeds Crown Court heard how a supposed passenger entered Saghir’s Toyota Prius carrying a black bag before getting out a short drive later, leaving the bag behind.

Internal CCTV footage inside the vehicle recorded Saghir calling an associate to confirm the delivery was "sorted" while peering into the bag. Police officers arrested him shortly afterwards at a nearby petrol station, seizing two kilograms of 90 per cent pure cocaine with an estimated street value of between £38,000 and £120,000.

A subsequent search of Saghir’s home uncovered a further £48,000 worth of heroin. Although Saghir confirmed his address during his initial police interview, he subsequently refused to answer further questions before admitting to two counts of dealing Class A drugs at court.

In mitigation, defence barrister Mohammed Rafiq explained that Saghir, who had no previous convictions, had developed a severe cocaine addiction that left him owing thousands of pounds in debt. "He was under pressure to pay and sadly got involved into the world of drug supply," Mr Rafiq said, adding that Saghir was ashamed and realised what he had done was wrong.

Judge Ray Singh firmly rejected Saghir's claim that he was merely acting as a courier, describing the defence as "fanciful" and "nonsense."

Sentencing Saghir, Judge Singh told him: "You understood completely the scale of this operation. This is not foolish behaviour, this is not a lapse of judgement. This was a conscious decision taken by yourself to be involved in the supply of Class A drugs, undoubtedly on the streets of this county."

The judge added that the severity of the offence was heightened by Saghir using a staged taxi journey to discreetly carry out the exchange.

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