Drug dealers in Bedfordshire jailed for more than 500 years thanks to Op Costello
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Top level drug dealers have been jailed for more than 500 years, thanks to the work of the Bedfordshire Police Operation Costello team.
Hamid Iqbal, 28, is the latest to be jailed thanks to the work of the specialist policing team. He was sentenced today (Friday) to six years and nine months for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, and possession of criminal property.
Operation Costello was launched by Bedfordshire Police in 2020 after the UK’s biggest ever law enforcement operation brought down the Encrochat platform – an encrypted tool used primarily by criminals to communicate with each other.
This allowed investigators to view messages and other media sent between users as they discussed large-scale criminality such as the movement of drugs and weapons.
The sentencing of Iqbal, of Connaught Road, Luton, brings the total number of years in prison secured by the Operation Costello to more than 500 years.
On 11 July this year Iqbal was stopped by officers and was found to be in possession of a large bag of Class A drugs.
Enforcement then took place at two properties in Luton linked to him, where officers located around £32,000 worth of cocaine, an imitation firearm, several phones, and drug paraphernalia.
Under Operation Costello, more than 230 arrests have been made, with more than 80 people jailed now for a total of 505 years so far. Almost 30 kilos of Class A drugs and 185 kilos of cannabis have been seized by the specialist unit, which has a street value of over £2.8 million.
Targeted operations have also led to more than 4,500 cannabis plants recovered from drug houses and more than £7.5 million in criminal assets being investigated.
The operation was set up through special grant funding from the government to help Bedfordshire Police tackle the extraordinary challenges posed locally by organised crime.
Detective Chief Superintendent Duncan Young from Bedfordshire Police said: “This sentencing means we’ve now secured jail sentences of more than 500 years for organised criminals involved in the supply of drugs in Bedfordshire. This is a fantastic achievement by all those involved in Operation Costello and shows our commitment to relentlessly pursuing and dismantling those dealers who bring such misery to our communities.
“Our efforts however do not just stop here. We are focusing on serious and organised crime holistically and taking a bottom-up approach looking at issues such as anti-social behaviour, illegal mass cannabis production, and professional enablers, who assist criminal groups by either supplying them with materials or letting them use premises.
“All these issues underpin much of the violence and exploitation which we want to put an end to here in Bedfordshire. We need the community to partner with us on this goal by reporting what they see. It could be as simple as reporting anti-social behaviour in their area - behind that could lie a whole host of criminality that we are committed to tackling at the source.”
Anyone with information about drug dealing or wider organised crime activity can report it via our website or by calling 101.