Farzana Kauser: Mum gets 13 years after using her kids to smuggle $30m worth of cocaine into UK

A mother has been identified as the ringleader of a massive drug smuggling operation and used her children and relatives as ‘mules’ before being taken down by police.

Farzana Kauser, 54, has been sentenced to 13 years in prison after attempting to move over $30 million worth of cocaine into the UK.

Police claimed that Kauser was the mastermind of a worldwide operation and was working with another figurehead known only as ‘Uncle’ as they conspired to import 180kg of the Class A drug from Cancun, Mexico, into Birmingham Airport.

Once under surveillance by the National Crime Agency (NCA), investigators claim it was the fifth time the smugglers had brought drugs into the UK between August and November last year.

The group of couriers was headed up by Kauser’s four sons, her daughter and her daughter-in-law, who would book short one or two-night trips to Amsterdam or Dublin and would travel without any luggage.

From there, police said, they returned to coincide with flights from Cancun, where a corrupt official placed the drugs into suitcases inside and placed them onto flights bound for England.

The group would then wait for the baggage to arrive and pick it up before leaving the airport, the Daily Mail reports.

After being arrested, Kauser claimed she was at the airport to pick up her children, who were returning from overseas.

The group were detained with a massive haul that police say has a street value of £14.4million.

The group of convicted smugglers have all received custodial sentences ranging from seven to 10 years.

“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,” Rick Mackenzie, Senior Investigating Officer at the NCA, said.

“She led this crime group with dedication and determination, often instructing her children on how to smuggle the drugs effectively 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 couriering drugs into the country, 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 Class A drugs pose to the UK,” Officer McKenzie said.

Sarah Ingram from the Crown Prosecution Service added: “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 serious organised crime.

“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 criminal enterprise 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 Crown Prosecution Service and law enforcement partners to disrupting drug supply chains and bringing those involved in serious organised crime to justice.”