Two drug-dealing sisters who ran a multi-million pound drug ring from their beauty salon have been ordered to pay back thousands of pounds of their ill-gotten gains.
Shazia Din, 44, ran a beauty shop called The Beauty Booth in Bury, Greater Manchester, with her older sister Abia Din, 47, as a money laundering operation.
The pair forwarded heroin, cocaine and amphetamines to contacts in South Yorkshire.
Greater Manchester Police announced this afternoon that the judge had seized a total of £345,031 from seven people involved in organizing the crime during a hearing at Manchester Crown Court.
Shazia Din, 44, ran a beauty shop called The Beauty Booth in Bury, Greater Manchester, with her older sister Abia Din, 47, as a money laundering operation
In December 2020, 17 people were jailed after Greater Manchester Police busted up a Pennine drug ring and seized more than 60 kilos of heroin and cocaine and £300,000 in cash.
Shaiza Din pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs including cocaine, heroin, MDMA and intent to supply class B drugs including cannabis and conspiracy to convert and transfer criminal property.
She was then sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Abia Din pleaded guilty to converting and transferring criminal property and was found by a jury to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, including cocaine, heroin and MDA, and to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, namely cannabis. sentenced.
She was imprisoned for 18 years.
Today the Din sisters were hit with confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Shaiza Din, who ran the criminal empire from her beauty business, has had £259,079 confiscated, while her sister Abia Din is set to lose a total of £49,478.
Police also confirmed that “significant assets were also confiscated” from others involved.
A spokesman said: “A total of £736,464.30 has now been seized from everyone involved in the drug ring, including those instrumental in the drug trade between Manchester and Yorkshire.
“The operation seized over 60 kilos of Class A drugs – including heroin and cocaine – as well as £300,000 in cash, a hydraulic press, drug paraphernalia, a pistol and ammunition. Members of the conspiracy were sentenced to a total of 140 years.’
A court heard how a family matriarch from Bury and the daughter of a major Doncaster drug dealer had hooked up.
From December 2018 until a sudden closure on 24 July 2019, following Greater Manchester Police’s Operation Heart, 20 people were arrested, convicted and convicted for their role in the operation.
Prosecutor Andrew Ford told Manchester Crown Court that Shazia Din, then 42, ran a Bury-based crime group alongside her then 45-year-old sister Abia Din – but their relationship with Peter Wrafter, 57, saw the delivery and distribution of heroin, cocaine and amphetamines across all South Yorkshire-based networks.
After Wrafter’s arrest and detention after he was found with a firearm, ammunition, drugs and cash in his Mercedes van, Shazia “promoted” her then-21-year-old son Hassan and Natalie Wrafter to become the company’s flagship , 31, took over from her father, the court heard.
Natalie Wrafter, 31, (left) and Shazia Din, 44, (right) exchange thousands of pounds worth of drug money in a prison car park before visiting Ms Wrafter’s father Peter Wrafter
Natalie Wrafter (left), of Harewood Avenue, Doncaster, has been sentenced to 11 years and three months on similar drug-related offences. Shazia Din (right) was sentenced to 15 years in prison
Hassan Din of The Drive, Bury pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B drugs namely cannabis and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
He was convicted by a jury of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely cocaine and heroin; and conspiracy to supply class A drugs, namely MDMA. A judge sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
Natalie Wrafter, of Harewood Avenue, Doncaster, was sentenced to eleven years and three months for similar drug offences.
In December 2020, 17 people including Natalie Wrafter (pictured) were jailed after Greater Manchester Police busted a Pennine drug ring and seized more than 60 kilos of heroin and cocaine and £300,000 in cash
Following the seizure, Detective Chief Inspector Roger Smethurst said: “We are extremely pleased with the results of the seizure hearing and with the case as a whole. The officers involved have worked tirelessly to secure convictions against instrumental members of an organized crime group operating out of Greater Manchester.
“We hope this serves as a reminder to everyone that we continue to investigate large-scale drug operations and secure convictions.”
Proceeds of crime is the term for money or assets obtained by criminals in the course of their criminal activity. Authorities, including the Crown Prosecution Service, have the power under POCA to seize assets to prevent crime from paying.
“By taking out the profits that fund crime, we can help break the cycle and prevent further crime,” Greater Manchester Police added in a statement.
