Drug lords jailed for total of 20 years

Two drug lord brothers who lived a lavish lifestyle of strippers, fast cars and luxury holidays ended up penniless after police ruined their reputations in the criminal underworld.

Tariq and Mazar Dad went from riches to rags after detectives used the unusual tactic of dismantling their multi-million pound heroin operation by undermining their respectability.

Instead of directly targeting the brothers, officers ‘picked away’ at their empire – seizing small amounts of cash and drugs from low level dealers who worked for them on the streets of Bristol.

The constant police attention gave them a bad reputation in the criminal underworld and their contacts and suppliers deserted them.

As the operation fell apart, the brothers became desperate and started making risky street deals – giving police the opportunity to swoop and catch them red-handed.

The pair were today jailed for a total of 20 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs at Winchester Crown Court.

Tariq, 43, was given 11 years and Mazar, 41, was jailed for nine-and-a-half, which will run concurrently with a previous 12-year sentence for supplying 21 kilos of heroin.

It marks a spectacular turnaround for the brothers, who once enjoyed seven star Dubai hotels, top-of-the range BMW’s, Porsches and riverside penthouse apartments.

Matt Horne, head of investigations for the South West at the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), said the pair’s operation was dismantled ”from the bottom up”.

He added: ”We systematically attacked this organised crime network and dismantled that group from the bottom up.

”Like every organised criminal, he relied on reputation to stay in business. SOCA and its partners attacked each link in the chain, from street dealers to overseas suppliers, to undermine his status.

”Eventually other criminals would no longer trade with him for fear of being arrested.

”The relentless drug and cash seizures disturbed Dad so much he stopped his drug trafficking activities for nine months.

”We squeezed him again, by blocking access to his offshore bank accounts and arranging for his cars to be repossessed.

”In desperation for cash he was forced to go hands on with a drug deal which gave us the evidence to arrest him. His network has now been completely dismantled.

”At their peak, they were trafficking huge amounts of drugs and staying in seven star hotels driving high-powered sports cars.

”Tariq Dad and his network brought misery and violence to Bristol for years.

”He thought he was untouchable, using others to do his dirty work while he lived the high life, but we were watching his every move.”

Tariq – known as Big Turks due to his drug connections in Turkey – headed the family empire, which was set up in the late 1990s to import heroin from Turkey.

His brother Mazar was his right hand man – the lieutenant who arranged for couriers to collect drugs and deliver them to the dealers.

A third brother, Araf, was also jailed for ten years in 1995 after they were convicted for possession with intent to supply heroin and is currently serving a 13 year sentence after being convicted of blackmail and possession of a firearm in 2004.

These offences related to a series of tit-for-tat shootings, kidnappings and violence as part of a drugs turf war between the Dad network and a rival gang in Bristol.

This war culminated in the murder of one of their enforcers, Stephen Henry, who was shot outside a nightclub in Clifton, Bristol, in 2003.

The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) launched an investigation into the families’ network after learning of their lavish lifestyle in 2006.

The brothers had no legitimate income yet owned BMW Alpina’s, Porsches, and a penthouse flat in Bristol’s exclusive harbourside development.

The pair were also regularly travelling first class to Dubai, where Tariq forked out £15,000 to stay in the seven star Al Burj hotel.

Operation Segmen unearthed an offshore bank account in South America, which contained £412,000 and a stash totalling £85,000 was found in the boot of Mazar’s car.

Tariq lived in a penthouse flat in the centre of Bristol with his stripper girlfriend, who also drove a top of the range BMW.

The brothers refused to directly handle the drugs, so in April 2007 SOCA, alongside Avon and Somerset police, bugged their cars and homes.

They quickly gathered enough evidence to arrest low level dealers and then went after the Dad brothers at the top end of the hierarchy.

Their associates were raided and Avon and Somerset police seized over 60 kilos of heroin, 10 kilos of cocaine, and cash totalling nearly £60,000.

Officers also traced the network to Turkey, where 90 kilos of heroin was seized by the Turkish National Police in July 2009.

Mr Horne added: ”The network’s reputation had long been its saving grace but their standing within the criminal fraternity slipped as an increasing number of criminals and other crime groups were reluctant to conduct business with them.

”Evidence that SOCA’s approach was working came from intelligence sources who said criminals did not want to be associated with them due to their inability to produce results and the fear of police intervention.”

The Dad’s ceased operating for nine months after the July 2009 raids, during which time their lavish lifestyle caught up with them.

With mounting debts, and having burned their bridges with heroin dealers, the pair tried to muscle in on the cocaine market.

Their cars and homes were bugged and Mazar was overheard discussing how to ”wash” cocaine into crack cocaine.

In July 2008, one of the Dads’ couriers, Omar Tariq, made arrangements to take a delivery of a kilo of cocaine from London supplier Wakar Shah.

But police intercepted the deal and a search of Omar’s home led to the seizure of a Baikal firearm and silencer.

The Dads, who were waiting for the cocaine to arrive, were both arrested in Bristol.

Tariq, Mazar, Wakar Shah and Garrie Jones, 37, who worked for Shah, were charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Yesterday at Winchester Crown Court Wakar was jailed for eight and-a-half years and Garrie Jones jailed for seven and-a-half years

Mazar and Shah, 33, pleaded guilty while Tariq and Jones were found guilty following a six-week trial in November 2009.

Mazar also recently pleaded guilty to supplying the 21 kilos of heroin as part of another prosecution and was jailed for 12 years.

Omar Tariq admitted his involvement in the plot to supply cocaine and was sentenced to eight years in December 2008.

”Prison sentences rarely deter career criminals like Dad,” said Mr Horne.

”SOCA is going to make it as hard as possible for him to return to a life of crime by going after his assets and applying for restrictions on travel, access to bank accounts and use of mobile phones.”