Eighth person jailed over £1bn frozen chicken box drug haul

Tabrez Hussain has been jailed for 17 years for his role in the operation

An eighth member of a gang which smuggled £1.59bn of cocaine in boxes of frozen chicken has been jailed.

The 15-tonne haul was described by prosecutors as the largest ever drugs operation in England and Wales.

At Sheffield Crown Court on Friday, Tabrez Hussain, 39, of Cuthbert Road, Birmingham, was given a 17-year prison sentence for his part in the operation.

He earlier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine. The other seven conspirators were jailed last year.

His role had been to remove the cocaine from the boxes and put it into large holdalls before loading into vehicles for transportation, a West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said.

The criminal network imported high-purity cocaine from a Mexican cartel, repackaged it and sold it on to dealers around the UK, prosecutors said.

A trial previously heard that "vast" shipments of the drug were unpacked at a warehouse in Redditch, near Birmingham, and later distributed.

A total of 318 pallets of chicken were imported between March and December 2022, West Yorkshire Police previously said.

The drugs were hidden in pallets of frozen chicken and later distributed around the UK, police said

A legitimate Dutch haulage company was used to deliver the drugs from overseas, unaware of what was hidden within the consignments, the force added.

The other defendants involved in the operation were jailed in November and December.

They were:

• Stephen Rayner, 31, of Scargill Grange, Leeds, who was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and jailed for 20 years

• Cherie-Anne Rayner, 30, of Flaxton Street, Leeds, who was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 15 years

• Liam Harrington, 39, of Flaxton Street, Leeds, who was convicted of participating in the activities of an organised crime group and converting criminal property and sentenced to three years in prison

• Megan Budden, 23, of The Crescent, Dewsbury, who was convicted of participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group and jailed for two years

• Steven Gibson, 41, of Belsyde Avenue, Glasgow, who was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and sentenced to 12 years in prison

• Darren Hunter, 30, of Queenslie Street, Glasgow, who was convicted of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A and jailed for six years

• Brandon Maan, 24, of Churchbank Way in Dewsbury, who was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and sentenced to 16 years in prison