DJ caught with huge haul of heroin in boot is ordered to pay nearly £2,000

The massive haul of Class A drugs was found in two large holdalls when the Volvo vehicle being driven by 49-year-old DJ Scott Thompson was stopped on Manchester Road in Bradford in November 2017.

Bradford Crown Court heard in June last year that the heroin had a wholesale value of about £1.2 million, but its potential street value would have been in excess of £2.1 million.

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Mazhar Abbas, 44, had provided father-of-three Thompson with the Volvo for the trip to Stafford in the West Midlands where he met up with a man in the car park of a DIY store and the holdalls were put in the boot of the vehicle.

The men had also been using so-called “dirty phones” as means of trying to avoid detection.

Both Thompson, of Meagill Rise, Otley, and Abbas, of Lister View, Bradford, pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to supply heroin and they were given jail terms totalling almost 20 years.

The contents of one of the two bags of heroin recovered from the boot of the car being driven by Thompson

The court heard that father-of-one Abbas had previously served an 11-year prison sentence for kidnapping and other offences and at the time of the conspiracy he was still on licence.

Thompson, who had no criminal convictions, had previously worked as a driver for Abbas and he claimed that he thought he would get about £100 for collecting the items from Stafford.

He maintained that he was not aware of the nature and quantity of the drugs he had collected.

Abbas, who said he had become involved to pay off a £5,000 gambling debt, was jailed for 12 years and six months after Judge Colin Burn concluded that he had played a significant role in the offending.

Mazhar Abbas, who was jailed alongside Scott Thompson in June

Thompson was locked up for seven years and four months after his barrister Bunty Batra said his client would have to pay a heavy price for the decision he made that day.

Jailing the pair last June, Judge Burn said they had been involved in an attempt to bring a very large amount of heroin into West Yorkshire. He said the drugs would no doubt have resulted in huge profits for those who were going to sell them on, but also “wholesale misery” and associated criminality.

The pair were brought from custody today (Thurs) for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act and prosecutor Ben Campbell told Judge Burn that an agreement had been reached in the case of Thompson.

Mr Campbell said Thompson’s benefit figure had been assessed at £11,807.27 and his available assets totalled £1,941.98.

He said the bulk of Thompson’s assets came from a pension which would have to be realised and Judge Burn said the confiscation order of £1,941.98 should be paid within three months or Thompson would face an extra 28 days in prison.

Abbas’ proceeds of crime hearing was adjourned until April 8 next year when Judge Burn will hear evidence before deciding what amount he will have to pay back.

Both men were taken back into custody after the hearing to continue serving their prison sentences.

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