London: An Indian-origin crime lord has been sentenced to more than eight years for selling drugs and weapons online. Britain’s National Crime Agency said that he used to do this business through an encrypted communication platform. Raj Singh (45), a resident of Surrey in South East England, used to buy and sell Class A drugs and weapons in association with Waqas Iqbal (41). He was also accused of money laundering and sending a consignment of ketamine to Canada.
Singh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A (cocaine) and class B (ketamine) and money laundering offenses at Guildford Crown Court. In another case, he also admitted to assaulting the police. The court sentenced Singh to eight years and 10 months and Iqbal to 12 years in prison. It also includes a sentence of 16 months for causing bodily injury to a female police officer. Singh had kicked a police officer in the legs during a fight in a pub when the police officer was trying to stop him.
According to the NCA investigation, the two criminals were not only involved in deals to buy and supply several kilograms of Class A drugs, but decrypted messages revealed that in April 2020, Iqbal paid £385,000 for drugs taken on credit Between March and May 2020, both had dealt in consignments of several kilograms of cocaine and heroin. Singh had also conspired to send ketamine to Canada. On Incrochat, both were known by the handle, not their real names. Singh was called the Salmongent and Iqbal the Ghostshooter.
In late March 2020 Iqbal supplied ammunition for 7.65 Browning to a man at a meeting on Acacia Road in London E17. A week later, Singh and Iqbal discussed the weapon, which Iqbal had hidden in a wall. Over the next few days, between 8 and 10 April, the two discussed on Incrochat the purchase of another weapon from a man for £8,000. NCA operations manager Dean Wallbank said although Iqbal and Singh operated only in the London area, they had criminal links in several countries in Europe. Iqbal and Singh, like other high-end dealers, are very toxic and very serious harm to society. As long as they made money, Wallbank said, they didn’t care if guns and drugs were sold. Because of what kind of bloodshed.
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