DRUGS IN CABS
PART-TIME MILTON KEYNES CABBIE HAD £22K IN CASH HIDDEN UNDER HIS CAR SEAT
A part-time cabbie was stopped because he was driving ‘too fast’ on the M6 in south Cumbria. Police officers searched the VW car because they noticed a strong smell of cannabis when they spoke to the driver Afthab Nawaz Khan, Carlisle’s Rickergate court heard. Khan, 29, had a small amount of the cannabis hidden in one of his socks,
and officers also found
three mobile phones, another small amount of cannabis, and – hidden under one of the seats – a
bag containing £22,000 cash. He told the officers that he had sold a BMW car and that he had just collected the funds. He was unable to answer any further questions about it so was arrested on suspicion of money laundering, the court heard. Cumbria Police took no further action against Khan but applied to the court for permanent forfeiture of the seized cash on the basis it was the proceeds of criminality or intended for use in crime.
An investigation of Khan’s bank accounts showed he was in debt to the tune of £10,000 and one of his relatives was also currently under investigation for alleged drugs supply offences. The court was told that Khan had previously been cautioned for possessing the Class B drug while in a car which was in “the vicinity” of a cannabis farm. Magistrates approved the forfeiture of the £22,180 that was found in the carrier bag.
BRIGHTON & HOVE CABBIE WHO FERRIED DRUG DEALER CAN’T HAVE HIS LICENCE BACK
A taxi driver who regularly ferried a drug dealer around Brighton and Hove has failed in an appeal to win back his licence. Bodrul Ali, 49, from Portslade, lost his licence after he was caught driving Albanian cocaine dealer Lumture Spahiu who was spotted dealing from Ali’s cab in Bevendean in September 2021. Minutes later, Sussex Police stopped the taxi and Spahiu tried to run off but was arrested and found to have 30 bags of cocaine. Spahiu was later convicted of having class A drugs with intent to supply and jailed for 22 months. In October last year, Brighton & Hove City Council revoked Ali’s taxi and private hire licences. A report to councillors in February said that this was because the driver was suspected of being involved in the distribution of drugs. Ali appealed the decision and the case came before District Judge
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Amanda Kelly at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Monday 12 December, but after assessing the evidence she dismissed his appeal. He had been a licensed B&H taxi driver for 19 years, with no criminal convictions, and denied knowing that Spahiu was a drug dealer. Outside court, Ali said that the case had turned his life upside down after the judge upheld the licence revocation and ordered him to pay the council’s £5,639 legal costs. The council said: “Examination of CCTV footage from Bodrul Ali’s vehicle showed that the same passenger had been transported on numerous occasions, making multiple stops across the city. “The council believed the taxi driver was knowingly transporting the drug dealer and was not a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold the taxi licences.
“Mr Ali appealed against this
decision but a district judge has dismissed his appeal stating that he had not satisfied the fit and proper test. “She found that the conclusions of the council that he was knowingly transporting a drug dealer were overwhelming and the council’s decision to revoke the licences was the correct one in the interests of safeguarding the public.” Cllr Zoe John, who chairs the council’s Licensing Committee, said: “Taxi and private hire drivers hold a unique position of trust in the community. The majority of drivers are brilliant and take their responsibilities very seriously. “This case was an exception and it highlights that we will not hesitate to take action where a taxi driver falls short of our licensing standards. “This was a serious case and we are pleased the judge has upheld our decision and dismissed the appeal.”
JANUARY 2023 PHTM
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