STRIKING a pose in sun-drenched Dubai, Sindija Virse looks like any other 20-something woman on holiday.
But behind a veneer of respectability, Virse and two of her closest friends were part of a massive operation that saw them deliver at least 170 kilos of cocaine worth £13.6million across Britain.
Sindija Virse pictured posing on holiday in DubaiCredit: Facebook
The smuggler showed off designer gear in social media posts as well as fancy handbags
The gang’s operation was ultimately smashed when one of their couriers was caught in London carrying a drugs haul worth £80kCredit: NCA
The Sun can today reveal how the all-female trio were drawn into the murky world of and were so successful as couriers that they were able to claim EXPENSES for petrol and lunches for drop-offs.
Virse, 28, close friend Gabriele Trinkunaite, 26, and pal Rubanpreeet Kaur, 26, boasted of being ‘from the block’, aping the words of singer , but while they enjoyed luxury and designer gear, their ‘block’ was a scruffy car park on a housing estate in close to where they lived.
In contrast, Virse flaunted trips to Dubai, posing with expensive handbags.
One top cop told us: “They wanted the glam lifestyle.
“They spent a lot of time messaging about and being gangsters and talked about being like Jenny from the Block, but in reality, they met up in a car park around the corner from the man who directed them.”
Overweight drugs kingpin Shahrukh Hummayiun, 29, denied trying to flee Britain after Kaur and Virse were arrested at their in January last year.
He booked first class tickets towithin hours but later told a court the £6,000-plus tickets weren’t a display of wealth generated by drugs – but a necessary cost because he was too big to sit in economy class.
Hummayiun and the women were given
Male courier Arvinder Bains, 39, was previously convicted at Woolwich Crown Court for possession to supply class A drugs and imprisoned for nine years.
The five were part of a sophisticated supply network that delivered more than 170kilos of high-purity coke to locations across the UK.
Virse used the cash to fund her luxury lifestyleCredit: Facebook
She also enjoyed trips to LondonCredit: Facebook
Virse was sentenced to six years and eight monthsCredit: Central News
Her close friend Gabriele Trinkunaite was given seven years and eight monthsCredit: Central News
Rubanpreet Kaur feared her family would abandon her after being caughtCredit: Central News
They stayed under the radar, using secret passwords, encrypted messaging and last-minute drop-offs, but it all came crashing down when Bains, of Telford, was caught carrying £80,000 worth of drugs in London in June 2022.
A joint operation between the National Agency and the Met Police found that in just four months, the group transported coke with a street value of £13.6million.
Hummayiun is believed to have had a crush on Trinkunaite, and the pair were close before messages uncovered by cops reveal the relationship cooled off because he was committed to an arranged .
Trinkunaite is thought to have then recruited pals Virse and Kaur, who police described as “almost timid”.
DC Colin Moore, of the organised crime partnership, said: “Kaur was quite a meek and mild individual. She was living in a traditional Asian household and worried her family would disown her after her arrest.
“She appeared very naive.”
Even her criminal associates urged Kaur to be more forceful when it came to claiming expenses for her runs across the UK.
In a message from a mystery party, she is told: “Any food or drinks or anything you need on the way, keep a receipt. And everything will get refunded to u.
“Don’t be shy, they’ll fully look after you.”
Trinkunaite and Virse met at a chocolate factory where they both worked in Telford. Texts between the pair show just how close they were, talking about jobs in mental .
Drugs kingpin Shahrukh Hummayiun booked first-class plane tickets as he tried to fleeCredit: Central News
Messages showed just how close Trinkunaite and Virse wereCredit: Supplied
DC Moore said: “It’s not that unusual for women to become involved in drugs, but what was rare about this group was that they were quite young, were friends and got involved together.
“How they went from hanging out together to dealing drugs, we just don’t know.
“ Trinkunaite was clearly at it for a long time, and when she was arrested by police, she pleaded guilty to the supply of 30kg in one day.
“There was very much an economic motive for her and Virse, who were both Eastern European and looking for a better life. They were working in a factory on low wages but wanted a glamorous lifestyle.
“This was a highly organised gang which was very professional, very structured, very disciplined and security conscious.
“What’s interesting is, in terms of drug trafficking, you wouldn’t have batted an eyelid at any of these women if you stood next to them in the street.
“It was the first time any had convictions for drugs.”
Hummayiun lived around the corner from a car park where the women often met, and when cops drove past his home, powerful cars such as Audis and BMWs were often parked in the driveway.
Rise of female drug gangs
FEMALE drug pushers are on the rise globally and British women are flooding the country with heroin, cocaine and dangerous party drugs.
They live the high life, with exotic holidays, fast cars and killer wardrobes as they shun men to build their own criminal networks.
One glamorous female gang even dressed as moped couriers with pink backpacks to deliver a “candy shop” list of 90 drugs around London.
There’s also a rise in the numbers of women willing to risk life in some of the world’s toughest jails through trafficking.
UK charity Prisoners Abroad has seen 243 Brits arrested on drugs offences in the year up to March compared to 155 the previous year. Women make up 62 per cent of new cases.
Leading criminologist Alex Iszatt says queenpins tend to be less violent than male drug lords – but can be just as cold-blooded.
She told The Sun: “They don’t have to be as abhorrent or as violent as men.
“Power for men is often seen through violent action but for women it’s organised, it’s clever, it’s manipulative, it’s slowly building things up.
“Women have the ability to multi-task so these women can easily launder money, run logistics and manage finances.
“They don’t have to go to the street and hit a few people, like men might, so they have the ability to be hidden and are able to rise to power. They show a different type of ruthlessness.”
DC Moore said: “Hummayiun sat on his bottom at home on his phone sending text messages directing couriers where to go.
“When Trinkunaite was arrested, he booked a holiday to Dubai at midnight the same day. We arrested him in the first-class lounge at Gatwick.
“At trial, he said he had to fly first class because he was too large to sit in economy seats.”
The gang was jailed for a total of 30 years and five months for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Hummayiun was sentenced to ten years and nine months, while Trinkunaite was jailed for seven years and eight months.
Kaur was jailed for five years and four months, while Virse was sentenced to six years and eight months.
Courier Bains was convicted of possession with intent to supply cocaine and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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