Family drugs gang sentenced for £5 million cocaine smuggling operation at Birmingham Airport

A woman from Bradford who enlisted her own children into a sophisticated £5 million pound cocaine smuggling operation was jailed for more than 13 years today at Birmingham Crown Court.

Farzana Kauser, 54, headed up the Bradford-based gang, five of which were her own children, including two who were teenagers at the time of the offences. Members used an elaborate method to smuggle high-purity cocaine through Birmingham Airport between August and November 2024.

Kauser, along with five other gang members, previously pleaded guilty to importing approximately 180 kilograms of cocaine with a wholesale value of nearly £5 million into the UK from Mexico.  Two further gang members pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

The operation

Between August and November 2024, the defendants conducted at least five drug importation trips using the same method each time. They would book short one or two-night trips to Dublin or Amsterdam without taking any luggage. Their return flights were specifically timed to coincide with the arrival of flights from Cancun, Mexico.

Upon returning to Birmingham Airport, instead of collecting luggage from their own flight carousel, they would proceed directly to the Cancun carousel where they would collect suitcases full of cocaine that had been loaded unaccompanied onto the Mexico flight. They would then walk through customs as though returning with their own bags.

The conspiracy was finally uncovered on 11 November 2024 when National Crime Agency officers arrested six defendants outside Birmingham Airport's arrivals area with six suitcases containing approximately 180 kilograms of cocaine.

The operation was predominantly a family affair, with Farzana Kauser orchestrating the conspiracy involving her children and relatives. Only one defendant, Khaled Abdulkawi, was not a family member. He acted as a courier, collecting drugs on behalf of another organised crime group.

The following defendants were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to evade the prohibition on the importation of a controlled drug of Class A:

• Farzana Kauser, jailed for 13 years and four months
• Safa Noor (19 from Bradford) jailed for seven years and two months
• Mohammed Aamir Shaffaq (28 from Bradford), jailed for eight years and nine months
• Umair Mohammed (22 from Bradford), jailed for eight years and one month
• Junaid Shaffaq (33 from Bradford), jailed for ten years and nine months
• Khaled Abdulkawi (36 from Halesowen, Dudley), jailed for ten years and nine months

In addition, Hamza Shaffaq and Sarah Hussain pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group:

• Hamza Shaffaq (18 from Bradford), to be sentenced in October (date to be set)
• Sarah Hussain (27 from Bradford), two year sentence, suspended for two years

Sarah Ingram from the Crown Prosecution Service said: "This was a sophisticated and well-planned operation to flood the UK with high-purity cocaine worth millions of pounds. What makes this case particularly concerning is the family nature of the conspiracy, with a mother recruiting her own children to participate in serious organised crime.

"The defendants thought they had devised a foolproof method to import drugs, but thanks to the vigilance and thorough investigation by the National Crime Agency and our prosecution, their criminal enterprise was brought to an end.

“By taking this organised crime group out of action, large amounts of drugs have been removed from circulation and can no longer reach our streets.

"This case demonstrates the commitment of the Crown Prosecution Service and law enforcement partners to disrupting drug supply chains and bringing those involved in serious organised crime to justice."

Rick Mackenzie, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “To her friends and people who thought they knew her, Farzana Kauser was a thoughtful, loving mum who seemed very normal.

“She was very well practised in her life as a high-end cocaine trafficker and she took great pains to delete any trail of evidence.

“She led this crime group with dedication and determination, often instructing her children on how to smuggle the drugs effectively and on what techniques to employ.

“She pushed her children into huge danger and has allowed their futures to be effectively destroyed.

“Her youngest son was just 17 when he was encouraged to play a major role in couriering drugs into the country, drugs that wreck countless lives across the UK in their links to violence, addiction and other crimes.

“The NCA works side by side with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat Class A drugs pose to the UK.”