Drug dealer caught with £1.6m cash jailed

A drug dealer has been jailed for more than 16 years after being caught with more than £1.6m in cash, most of which was stashed in secret compartments at a Bradford property.

Zulfiqar Shah, 58, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin, conspiracy to supply ketamine and conspiracy to possess criminal property.

West Yorkshire Police found 2.2lb (2.5kg) of heroin, 41.4lb (18.8kg) of adulterant, often used to mix with drugs, and ketamine at an address at Rhylstone Mount on August 7.

Police said the recovered money was the largest single seizure of criminal cash ever made by the force.

Shah, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 16 years and six months in prison at Bradford Crown Court earlier.

Officers initially recovered the drugs, adulterant and £230,000 from the house in August last year. Shah was charged and remanded in custody.

Further intelligence suggested there was a large amount of cash hidden at the property, and the force returned on October 14.

Hidden compartments built into two of the bedroom wardrobes were uncovered, containing approximately £1.4m.

A total of £1,625,693.82 was recovered during the investigation, and will be the subject of a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

The money will be distributed to operational agencies including West Yorkshire Police and local neighbourhoods through the Mayor's Safer Communities Fund, according to police.

Det Insp Chris Rukin, who led the operation, described Shah as "someone heavily involved in the supply of Class A drugs".

"The huge amount of money he was found with clearly illustrates the scale of his involvement," he said.

"Behind all that money lies the significant negative impact of the supply of illegal drugs, which fuels crime and serious violence in our communities."

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