Seven members of an organised crime group based in Oldham and Rochdale have been jailed for a combined 46 years after an investigation into wholesale drug supply and money laundering across England and Scotland.
Greater Manchester Police said the group operated between January 2024 and May 2025 and was involved in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs alongside what officers described as a sophisticated money laundering operation.
The court heard the group moved significant quantities of drugs and cash, including an 80kg deal involving high-grade “moon rocks” cannabis valued at more than £1 million.
Sajjad Anwar, of Bronte Close, Rochdale, was jailed for three years after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property in England.
Umar Vakas, of Rising Lane, Oldham, was jailed for 11 years after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in England and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in Scotland.
Anthony Carter, of Briarwood Crescent, Stockport, was jailed for nine years and nine months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Talha Nasim, of Boundary Street, Rochdale, was jailed for two years and four months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in England and Scotland.
Waqas Mustafa, of Fitzwilliam Road, Rotherham, was jailed for nine years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs in England.
Bilal Irshad, of Aubrey Street, Rochdale, was jailed for six years and eight months after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property in England and Scotland.
Mohamed Kayani, of Shelfield Lane, Rochdale, was jailed for four years after being found guilty of conspiracy to transfer criminal property in England and Scotland.
Police said members of the group flaunted the proceeds of their criminality through trips across Europe in luxury vehicles. In August 2024, Vakas, Anwar and Nasim were observed travelling through France, Switzerland, Monaco and Italy in top-of-the-range Audis, Lamborghinis and Mercedes.
Later that year, investigators uncovered communications between Kayani and Irshad which revealed the movement of large sums of cash, including £60,000 in one transaction and further discussions involving more than £100,000.
In February 2025, evidence linked Vakas and Nasim to the supply of “moon rocks” cannabis, with videos and messages said to confirm the 80kg deal valued at over £1 million.
That same month, officers stopped Kayani on the M62 and found more than £115,000 in cash concealed in a bag in the footwell behind his seat.
In the final stage of the investigation, Irshad was arrested at an office in Salford operating under the name ZA Investments Ltd. Officers seized nearly £100,000 in cash, a safe and a cash-counting machine.
Further evidence showed Vakas arranging cocaine deals, including videos of kilogram blocks of cocaine branded to indicate high purity.
On 8 May 2025, officers executed a warrant at Mustafa’s address in Rotherham, where they found crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis and cutting agents. Police said he also kept detailed drug ledgers documenting transactions and quantities.
Investigators said Anwar played a significant role in the money laundering network by directing others and overseeing the movement and concealment of criminal proceeds.
They described Vakas as a central figure in the drug supply operation who acted as a broker between suppliers and buyers and arranged the wholesale supply of cocaine, cannabis and ketamine in England, as well as cannabis into Scotland.
Carter was identified as a wholesale purchaser who received multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine under Vakas’s instruction in April 2025.
Police said Nasim played a key role in cannabis supply, including cross-border distribution into Scotland.
Irshad and Kayani were found to have operated a laundering network using business accounts, cash storage locations and structured transfers. Police said the pair laundered between £500,000 and £2 million, with Irshad taking a leading role and Kayani providing significant support.
Detective Inspector Rick Castley, of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Division, said the group operated as a layered criminal network, using apparently legitimate businesses to disguise the movement of drug money.