Inside the £19M 'Designer' Weed Empire: How a Drug Kingpin Was Busted by a DHL Driver's Photo

IT was a £19million drugs operation which involved smuggling designer cannabis through UK airports in pallets of vintage clothes.

But it would all come crashing down when drug kingpin, Dean Hussain, 29, whose army of street dealers were ready to flood Britain with potent strains of from , was unknowingly caught out by a picture captured by a DHL driver.

Dean Hussain ran a drugs operation across the north west of England Credit: GMP Hussain was brought down by a crack in his taillight Credit: GMP

Known as Cali-weed, with its bright packaging, specialist strains and flavours which mimic the likes of Oreos and Biscoff biscuits, the consignments saw kingpin Hussain rake in thousands of pounds every week.

One gram costs users between £20 and £30 – and the drug is famous for its potent levels of THC, which gives users an intense feeling of euphoria but can also lead to panic attacks, paranoia and hallucinations lasting hours.

The gang smuggled 28 shipments into the UK between December 2022 and January 2024.

Five were intercepted by officials who found nearly 130kg of cannabis said to have been worth more than £902,000 at wholesale price and £3.7m on the street.

believe all the shipments were of similar size with a total value of £19.3million if sold by dealers.

Hussain used the name of a legitimate company to bring in his supplies, but used different addresses, emails and phone numbers to make sure he got his haul.

He then organised for pallets to be picked up and delivered by unsuspecting companies like DHL, who met his associates at houses in and around Rochdale.

While Hussain thought he’d outsmarted cops with this clever plot, he was finally caught red-handed by a DHL driver taking a snap for proof of his completed delivery.

He’d unknowingly handed over and, in the process, captured a picture of the drug lord’s A3 with a cracked rear light.

It ultimately led to cops being able to take down Hussain and his designer weed empire after his arrest in early 2024, with the dealer now languishing in jail thanks to his dodgy taillight.

Detective constable Peter Martin, lead officer in the case, told The Sun: “Most of the images taken by delivery drivers were just of boxes or pallets, but in one we could make out an Audi A3 and its boot has been loaded with boxes.

“We noticed the taillight was broken, and it was this that helped us track down Hussain’s car. This was in part what helped bring him down.”

On the face of it, Hussain ran a legitimate shipping vintage clothing into Britain’s airports, including East Midlands, Heathrow and Gatwick.

But the deliveries were stuffed full of weed from California, where cannabis is legal and growers are famous for creating new concoctions.

Border Force uncovered five shipments of vintage clothes containing weed from California – all registered under the same name of a genuine company.

They quickly realised the real firm was being used as a ruse because the delivery addresses didn’t match the company headquarters and were in different locations around the Rochdale area.

Serious crime officers from Manchester got involved and tracked previous pallets which had been shipped into the UK in the same circumstances.

They discovered DHL had handled some of the pallets and asked for pictures taken by drivers as proof of delivery. It was then they came across the image of Hussain’s car

When cops raided Hussain’s home in the town, they found 32 phones stored in plastic lunch boxes with different addresses written across the top.

DC Martin said: “These were the phones Hussain used for deliveries.

Drugs were hidden in vintage clothing Credit: GMP Cannabis is legal in California, where it’s openly sold Credit: AP:Associated Press California is full of ‘health’ shops selling weed Credit: Getty – Contributor

“They were only active for small periods of time around delivery dates. They were switched on for short periods of time so drivers could call to say they were on their way and switched off again.

“He had 32 phones he kept in Tupperware-type tubs and various SIM cards that we could all connect to him and associates.

“He was keeping a meticulous track of what was coming in and when he would need to activate each phone to receive alerts and calls from the delivery driver bringing in the boxes and pallets.

“It was also clear he was looking for more and more delivery addresses as time went on and was expanding his reach.

“He clearly had some business acumen, a fact even the judge reflected on when he was jailed.

“Hussain was aware this was a far more profitable product than normal cannabis and was looking at different strains that were sold at different price points.”

His main deputy, Prince Pyewo helped with payments for shipping and rent on premises used in the operation while another accomplice, Beverley Tsimba, helped recruit sellers and a third, Elliott McBurnie, sorted deliveries.

Cannabis is, and it’s believed Hussain simply contacted a crooked seller willing to take part in his operation.

The drugs were wrapped in vintage clothes and flown into the UK Credit: GMP Hussain’s deputy, Prince Oyewo, was jailed for more than five years Credit: GMP Elliott McBurnie helped organise deliveries Credit: GMP

Cops say that, despite making thousands from drug activities, Hussain seemingly lived a modest lifestyle, sharing a flat with a family member and taking the odd holiday to the Canary Islands each winter.

But those on the bottom rung of the drugs ladder couldn’t even afford that.

Detective Inspector Timothy Berry, of the serious and organised me group at Manchester police, said the chain involved low-level dealers who were being exploited by the gang.

At least three of those convicted told Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester that they were forced into selling Hussain’s ‘cali-weed’ to pay off drug debts.

DI Berry said: “There’s a tendency for a lot of people to think the legality around possession and the sale of cannabis isn’t treated very seriously in the UK but it very much is.

“There are a lot of people involved in the importation of drugs, and there’s a lot of violence and exploitation associated with it at street level; disputes between dealers and fights over territory, for instance.

“There’s always a human cost to it, no matter what drug is involved.”

Cannabis is a class B drug in the UK and those found growing, selling or distributing it can face hefty prison sentences of up to 14 years.

Possession is also an offence but if you are caught with a small amount – generally less than one ounce – police can issue an on-the-spot fine of £90.

Medical marijuana are available over the counter or by prescription in the UK – but it is heavily monitored and regulated.

Hussain was jailed for six years and nine months in May after being found guilty of conspiracy to import drugs.

Prince Pyewo, 29, of Heywood, Greater , was given five years, 10 months on the same charge.

Beverley Tsimba, 27, of , was given five years and two months, also for conspiracy.

Elliott McBurnie, also 27, was caged for four years, six months, for conspiracy after arranging deliveries.

Six others were given suspended sentences for their part in the supply chain.