UK police dismantle Indian-origin drug gang using frozen chicken to smuggle cocaine

In a significant operation, UK police have dismantled a drug smuggling ring involving a group of Indian-origin men who used frozen chicken consignments as a front to transport cocaine. The gang members now face prison sentences ranging from two to 16 years.

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The Birmingham Crown Court sentenced Maninder Dosanjh, 39, to 16 years and eight months, and Amandeep Rishi, 42, to 11 years and two months for their roles in the conspiracy to supply class A drugs and launder money.

West Midlands police seized 400kg of high-purity cocaine and GBP 1.6 million in illegal cash during the investigation, which exposed the gang's sophisticated operation. The network used a fleet of vehicles with hidden compartments to transport drugs, concealing them in pallets of raw chicken.

“This investigation covered the importation, exportation, and wholesale national supply of cocaine,” said Detective Chief Inspector Pete Cooke from the West Midlands Police's Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU). “We believe they imported over a tonne of cocaine, making upwards of GBP 10 million,” he added.

The gang's activities were traced through the encrypted messaging app Encrochat, which has since been shut down. The men were arrested in July 2020 and pleaded guilty to drug smuggling offenses, with sentencing concluding in August this year.