Gang jailed for a total of 25 years after off-chance vehicle stop sparks money laundering investigation
Four men involved in a sophisticated money laundering and drug supply operation in Greater Manchester have been jailed for a total of 25 years. The investigation began after a routine traffic stop in August 2022, leading to the discovery of £23,510 in cash and evidence of drug trafficking. The operation involved importing cannabis from Albania and laundering proceeds through legitimate businesses, including takeaway restaurants. The key figures—Wasim Ali, Zahid Bashir, Mohammed Bilal, and Imran Aslam—were arrested in coordinated raids, with significant cash, drugs, and assets seized.
Manchester drug gang sentenced to 25 years after chance traffic stop exposed £100,000 laundering scheme
A routine patrol on Pilkington Way in August 2022 has brought down a sophisticated drug trafficking and money laundering operation that stretched from Albania to Greater Manchester, with four men now beginning combined prison sentences of 25 years.
The breakthrough came when a Greater Manchester Police officer noticed a damaged VW Golf with a smashed window driving erratically. After the driver ran a red light in an attempt to escape, officers stopped the vehicle and arrested Zahid Bashir, 43, of Canon Street, Bury. Inside the glove box they discovered five bundles of cash totalling £23,510 - cash that would unravel a criminal network importing cannabis from Albania and laundering profits through legitimate takeaway businesses.
Following Bashir’s arrest, detectives uncovered coded messages on seized phones revealing he was taking instructions from a contact saved as “SLUG” - later identified as 35-year-old Wasim Ali of Derwent Drive, Bury. The investigation, spanning two years, exposed Ali as the ringleader who arranged drug shipments and even funded a birthday holiday to Spain for Bashir as a reward for his loyalty.
The network’s money man, Imran Aslam, 43, also of Derwent Drive, was uncovered through messages referencing “MANNY” - a contact who controlled payments and loans. When detectives raided Aslam’s home in January 2023, they seized designer clothing and paperwork leading to a safety deposit box in Oldham containing £15,000 and gold jewellery. The gang’s logistics coordinator, Mohammed Bilal, 30, of Sanderson Street, Bury, was arrested after messages showed him organising daily drug deliveries and collections across the North West.
Ali received the heaviest sentence of 14 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs. Bashir was sentenced to four-and-a-half years for money laundering and supplying class B drugs, while Bilal received three years for money laundering and drug supply offences. Aslam, found guilty after trial of money laundering and supplying class B drugs, was jailed for four years.
Detective Inspector Sarah Langley of GMP’s Economic Crime Unit said: “This investigation uncovered a sophisticated drugs operation which was designed to be concealed in several legitimate businesses. Although money laundering can be masked as a victimless crime, these men used the proceeds of their drug operation to fund further violence in our communities.”
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