Drug Dealer Jailed 16 Years After £1.6M Cash Seizure in Bradford

A drug dealer received a prison sentence of 16 years and six months after police seized more than £1.6 million in cash, most of it hidden in secret compartments at a Bradford property.

West Yorkshire Police discovered 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of heroin, 41.4 pounds (18.8 kg) of adulterant used to mix with drugs, and ketamine at a house on Rhylstone Mount on August 7. Officers described the recovered money as the largest single seizure of criminal cash in the force's history.

The man, named Shah and of no fixed address, was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court. Police first recovered the drugs, adulterant, and £230,000 from the house in August last year. They charged Shah and held him in custody.

Later intelligence pointed to a large amount of cash still hidden at the property. Officers returned on October 14 and recovered a total of £1,625,693.82 during the investigation. That money will face a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Police said the funds will go to operational agencies, including West Yorkshire Police and local neighborhoods, through the Mayor's Safer Communities Fund.

Detective Inspector Chris Rukin, who led the operation, called Shah "someone heavily involved in the supply of Class A drugs." He added, "The huge amount of money he was found with clearly illustrates the scale of his involvement."

"Behind all that money lies the significant negative impact of the supply of illegal drugs, which fuels crime and serious violence in our communities," Rukin said.