Drug trafficker in Bradford who supplied heroin across UK handed 13 years at Leeds court

The drug trafficker from Bradford has been jailed at Leeds Crown Court

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A man from Bradford has today been sentenced to 13 years in prison for supplying heroin while out on licence for a similar offence.

Fariman Khan (46) was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court, alongside Francis Cooper (61) both from Reynolds Avenue. Cooper was jailed for seven years.

-> Join our new Bradford Crime & News group here for more on incidents like thisKhan was also given a SCPO (Serious Crime Prevention Order) which will start at the end of his sentence.

For five years after he is released from prison, Khan will be subject to some strict restrictions, including what bank accounts he can hold and what communication devices he can use.

He will also have to notify the authorities of his finance and assets, any business interests, and where he will live.

Judge Nolan QC said that Khan had "taken a lead role in the supply of heroin across a large geographical area".

Khan and Cooper were arrested in October 2017 by the National Crime Agency’s Armed Operations Unit (AOU). This followed a lengthy investigation which identified Khan as the driving force behind the drugs operation which supplied heroin across the UK.

-> Man injured in suspected drive-by shooting in LeedsThe investigation came about after officers observed a drugs handover in London. On 1 July 2016, Cooper drove a white transit van to Streatham in South London and met Carl Stanley. Officers saw Cooper hand something to Stanley before they both drove away in separate vehicles.

Stanley’s vehicle was stopped by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in the same street and he was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A drugs. They found two blocks in his car which was later confirmed to be approximately two kilos of heroin, with an estimated street value of £198,000.

In October 2017 officers searched Khan and Cooper’s property in Reynolds Avenue and recovered a number of mobile phones, SIM cards, computer devices and more than £69,000 cash.

-> Four friends died in horrific high speed police crash in YorkshireCooper pleaded guilty conspiracy to supply class A drugs on 10 April 2018 and Khan was found guilty on the 12 July following a trial.

John Coles, Head of the Specialist Operations Unit said: