International Drug Racket Busted: UK Sentences Two Men for Pharmaceutical Smuggling

Two men, Salman Ansari and Waqas Saleem, have been sentenced in the UK for orchestrating an illegal drug network, importing unregulated pharmaceuticals from India. Ansari received a six-year sentence, while Saleem was jailed for two and a half years. The operation involved significant money laundering and global distribution of banned drugs.

In a major crackdown on pharmaceutical smuggling, two men have been handed hefty prison sentences in the United Kingdom. Salman Ansari, aged 33, received a six-year sentence, while Waqas Saleem, also 33, faces two and a half years behind bars. They were found guilty of importing unregulated pharmaceutical drugs from India and distributing them across borders.

The operation, described by UK police as large-scale, was worth an estimated GBP 1 million and resulted in the seizure of 730 kg of potent opioids and sedatives. These drugs often came counterfeited with unknown doses, posing severe risks to public health, according to Detective Constable Syed Shah.

The investigation, spanning three years and involving UK and US law enforcement agencies, uncovered a global drug network. Ansari and Saleem, along with Juhi Ansari, who received a suspended sentence, were implicated in laundering funds exceeding USD 117,000 to India. The efforts of international law enforcement led to the seizure of over a million illicit tablets.

(With inputs from agencies.)