Beeston family operated 'drug supermarket' at house on Tempest Road during major supply conspiracy in which they sold at least 40 kilos of cannabis

A judge described the property on Tempest Road, Beeston, as a 'drug supermarket' after hearing how members of the Khan family ran the illegal operation for 18 months before they were finally arrested.

Brothers Asif and Kashif Khan and cousins, Shamrayz and Sohail Khan, operated a 'ring and bring' drug supply line which received an average of 200 calls per day.

The defendants and others involved in the conspiracy were arrested or had drugs seized from vehicles and properties in south Leeds on 11 separate occasions but continued to sell cannabis.

Leeds Crown Court heard how the operation brought them into conflict with rival gangsters which resulted in shots being fired at Asif on one occasion.

During another incident police were sent to the house after men in balaclavas raided the property and found Shamrayz with leg injuries.

Police also seized high purity cocaine which was worth around £8,000.

Describing the Tempest Road property, Judge Andrew Stubbs QC said: "This was more of a drugs supermarket, rather than a drugs den."

Asif, 26, described in court as the ringleader of the operation, was jailed for seven years and ten months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

Kashif, 22, was given a two-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis.

The court heard Kashif is currently serving an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for his role in another drug supply conspiracy based in Leeds and Wakefield.

The brothers' father, Amjad Khan, 49, was given a suspended sentence for allowing his home to be used for the supply of cannabis.

Shamrayz, 29, and Sohail, 24, both of Burlington Road, Beeston, both pleaded guilty to the cannabis supply conspiracy, possession of cocaine with intent to supply and possession of amphetamine with intent to supply. Both were jailed for five years, four months.

The cannabis supply conspiracy took place between October 2017 and February 2019.

Matthew Bean, prosecuting, told the court of 11 separate occasions when police seized drugs, cash and mobiles phones from those involved in the conspiracy.

Drugs were found at properties on Tempest Road and Burlington Road on a number of occasions.

A total of 3.5kgs was seized by police but Mr Bean said the amount represented the "tip of the iceberg" in terms of the drugs involved in the conspiracy.

The prosecutor said that, from the thousands of text messages and calls received to phones used during the conspiracy, at least 40kgs of the class B drug is likely to have been sold.

Mr Bean said said phones were seized on multiple occasions but those involved simply activated new devices which were then used to continue the operation of the drug supply line.

A fifth defendant, Michael O'Reilly, of Tempest Road, has also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and will be sentenced next month.

His girlfriend, Katie Saville, pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of amphetamine.

Those offences relate to an incident on October 18, 2018, when police raided the home she shared with O'Reilly and officers seized around £500 worth of drugs and cash.

Saville was made the subject of a one-year community order and was ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

After the case, Det Chief Insp Phil Jackson, who led the investigation by Leeds District CID, said: "These men were involved in a sophisticated drug-dealing operation supplying large quantities of drugs as part of an organised criminal group linked to wider issues in the Beeston area.

"Their illicit activities were the focus of a detailed and comprehensive investigation by detectives who painstakingly uncovered the evidence that linked them to these offences and has seen them convicted over this criminal enterprise.

"The organised supply of drugs causes significant harm both to individual users and to our communities where they fuel crime and anti-social behaviour.

"We hope the sentences they have received will serve as a stark reminder to others of the serious penalties that those involved in the supply of drugs can expect.

"We also hope it will provide suitable reassurance to the community and illustrate our ongoing commitment to targeting those who think they can profit from the destructive trade in drugs."

The court Asif Khan has nine previous convictions for 17 offences, including possession with intent to supply cannabis and possession of cannabis.

Kashif Khan has four previous convictions for six offences, including conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin in Leeds and Wakefield.

Shamraz Khan has three previous convictions for five offences, including possession of cocaine and possession of cannabis.

Sohail Khan has four previous convictions for five offences, including possession of cannabis and dangerous driving.

Amjad Khan has 12 previous convictions for 15 offences, including multiple convictions for possession of cannabis.

O'Reilly has five previous convictions for 13 offences, including possession of cannabis.

Saville has no previous convictions.

Asif Khan's barrister, Ian Brook, said his client was the victim of an attempted murder at around the time the cannabis conspiracy started.

Kashif Khan's barrister, Elyas Patel, said his client is the youngest defendant in the case and was a teenager when the conspiracy began.

He said he has not seen his partner or his baby in the past year due to coronavirus restrictions in the prison.

Shamrayz Khan's barrister, Ian Hudson, said his client has health problems.

Sohail Khan's barrister, Matthew Harding, said his client accepted he had to be jailed but is anxious to get back into society to make a contribution as soon as possible.

Mohammed Nawaz, for Amjad Khan, described his client, who has had three heart attacks, as a 'hard-working and devoted family man' who runs a car dealership and whose sons were on the 'wrong path'.

He said: "His relationship with his sons and nephews was poor and strained and they treated his house like a hotel.

"He was in an impossible position. He had an idea they were up to no good but his wife - their mother - was anxious for their relationship not to break down.

"He did not condone it but knew what was going on."