Gang jailed for smuggling crystal meth to Japan
- Published
Clockwise from top left, Majid Rasoolzadeh, Jan Pasulka, Jan Stinic and Dusan Staruch
Four men have been given jail sentences after being found guilty of smuggling crystal meth through the UK to Japan.
The gang's operation was uncovered after Dusan Staruch was stopped at Leeds Bradford Airport on arrival from Turkey in July 2014.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) said a search of his suitcase revealed nearly 2.5kg of methylamphetamine worth £1.3m.
A search of his house found a notebook with details of trips to Japan and Turkey.
NCA officers later arrested Majid Rasoolzadeh, Jan Pasulka and Jan Stinic.
The four were found guilty and sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday.
Rasoolzadeh, 46, of Oakfield Road, Alderley Edge, Cheshire - described by the NCA as the leader of the gang - was jailed for 16 years.
Pasulka, 36, of Vauxhall Street, Plymouth was jailed for 12 years.
Stinic, 37, also of Vauxhall Street, Plymouth received a 10-and-a-half-year sentence.
Staruch, 29, of Cemetery Road, Leeds received eight-and-a-half years in prison.
But both Rasoolzadeh and Pasulka were sentenced in their absence as they absconded during the three-week trial.
The NCA said two other members of the gang had been jailed in Japan in 2014.