An arrest and the seizure of nearly £100,000 in cash at an office in Salford have been detailed as seven members of an organised crime group were jailed for a combined 46 years.
In the final months of the investigation, Bilal Irshad was arrested at an office in Salford operating under the name ZA Investments Ltd. Nearly £100,000 in cash, a safe and a cash-counting machine were seized from the Salford premises.
Bilal Irshad (13/03/1993) of Aubrey Street, Rochdale, has now been jailed for six years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property in England and Scotland.
The court heard how Irshad and Mohamed Kayani together operated a sophisticated money-laundering network using business accounts, cash-storage locations and structured transfers. The pair laundered between £500,000 and £2 million, with Irshad in a leading role.
The organised crime group, which was based in Oldham and Rochdale, operated across England and Scotland and was involved in the wholesale supply of Class A and B drugs alongside the sophisticated money laundering operation.
Throughout the investigation, significant amounts of cash and drugs were moved, including the supply of 80kg worth of cannabis valued at over £1 million.
The other six members of the organised crime group have been sentenced as follows:
• Umar Vakas (16/02/1996) of Rising Lane, Oldham, has been jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in England and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in Scotland. Vakas was a central figure in the drug-supply operation, acting as a broker arranging wholesale transactions between suppliers and buyers. He was involved in the supply of cocaine, cannabis and ketamine in England and cannabis into Scotland.
• Anthony Carter (03/06/1973) of Briarwood Crescent, Stockport, has been jailed for nine years and nine months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Carter was a wholesale purchaser who received multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine under the instruction of Vakas during a period in April 2025.
• Waqas Mustafa (15/10/1992) of Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham, has been jailed for nine years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in England. The 33-year-old acted as a custodian and a courier of wholesale amounts of drugs, and maintained detailed drug ledgers documenting transactions and quantities. He was found in possession of drugs and paraphernalia at the time of arrest.
• Mohamed Kayani (04/10/1992) of Shelfield Lane, Rochdale, has been jailed for four years after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property in England and Scotland, having provided significant support to the money-laundering network.
• Sajjad Anwar (23/03/1991) of Bronte Close, Rochdale, has been jailed for three years after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property in England. Anwar had a significant role in the money-laundering network, directing others and overseeing the movement and concealment of criminal proceeds.
• Talha Nasim (27/01/1993) of Boundary Street, Rochdale, has been jailed for two years and four months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in England and Scotland. Nasim played a key role in the supply of cannabis, including cross-border distribution into Scotland.
Detective Inspector Rick Castley from the Serious and Organised Crime Division said:
“This group was a highly sophisticated outfit, they were a network with many layers where everyone played their part. From the couriers to purchasers, to laundering cash under what seemed to be, legitimate businesses.
“The individuals involved operated across borders, using sophisticated methods to conceal their activities and avoid detection.”
