IMAGES released by cops show the moment a group of siblings were caught smuggling millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK.
The siblings were recruited into by their own mother.
Farzana Kauser, 54, talked five of her children into from Cancun in Mexico to Birmingham Airport.
At the time of the offences, between August and November last year, two of Farzana’s children were teenagers.
The gang are alleged to have used an elaborate method to .
Kauser and five other gang members pleaded guilty to smuggling 180 kilograms of into the UK from Mexico.
The illicit powder held a massive street value of nearly £5 million.
Two further gang members pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an .
Between August and November the defendants brought in five loads of cocaine using the same method each time.
They would book to Dublin or Amsterdam without taking luggage.
Return to coincide with the arrival of flights from Cancun.
When the smugglers arrived at Birmingham Airport on their return trips they would then collect luggage filled with cocaine from the Cancun flights instead of from their own.
The brazen smugglers would then waltz through customs carrying the bags as if they were their own.
The group was busted when officers arrested six defendants outside Birmingham Airport with six suitcases containing approximately 180 kilograms of cocaine.
Farzana Kauser is said to have , involving her children and relatives.
Only one of the defendants was not a family member, Khaled Abdulkawi.
Abdulkawi acted as a courier, on behalf of another organised crime group.
Farzana Kauser was jailed for 13 years and four months, Safa Noor, 19, from Bradford was jailed for seven years and two months.
Mohammed Aamir Shaffaq, 28, from Bradford, was .
Umair Mohammed, 22, from Bradford, was jailed for eight years and one month, Junaid Shaffaq, 33, from Bradford, was .
Khaled Abdulkawi, 36, from Halesowen in Dudley was jailed for ten years and nine months.
Hamza Shaffaq and Sarah Hussain pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an .
Hamza Shaffaq, 18, from Bradford, will be sentenced in October.
Sarah Hussain, 27, from Bradford, was handed a two year sentence suspended for two years.
Sarah Ingram, from the , said: “This was a sophisticated and well-planned operation to flood the UK with high-purity cocaine worth millions of pounds.
“What makes this case particularly concerning is the family nature of the conspiracy, with a mother recruiting her own children to participate in .
“The defendants thought they had devised a foolproof method to import drugs, but thanks to the vigilance and thorough investigation by the National Crime Agency and our prosecution, their was brought to an end.
“By taking this organised crime group out of action, large amounts of drugs have been removed from circulation and can no longer reach our streets.
“This case demonstrates the commitment of the and law enforcement partners to disrupting drug supply chains and bringing those involved in serious organised crime to justice.”;
Rick Mackenzie, NCA , added: “To her friends and people who thought they knew her, Farzana Kauser was a thoughtful, loving mum who seemed very normal.
“She was very well practised in her life as a high-end cocaine trafficker and she took great pains to delete any trail of evidence.
“She led this crime group with dedication and determination, often instructing her children on how to and on what techniques to employ.
“She pushed her children into huge danger and has allowed their futures to be effectively destroyed.
“Her youngest son was just 17 when he was encouraged to play a major role in , drugs that wreck countless lives across the UK in their links to violence, addiction and other crimes.
“The NCA works side by side with partners at home and abroad to combat the threat .”;
