TWO Bradford men have appeared in court after 56kg of heroin, with a street value of around £3 million, and around £100k of cash was seized.

The pair were arrested on Thursday as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation, supported by West Yorkshire Police. 

Yusuf Kara, 30, of Glendare Avenue, Lidget Green, and Imran Khan Ashraf, 31, of no fixed address, formerly of Bradford, were both charged on Friday (October 18) with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and money laundering.

They appeared at Leeds Crown Court today (Saturday) and were remanded to custody to appear at Leeds Crown Court on November 18.

An NCA spokesperson said: "On Thursday, October 17, Ashraf was driving his van in Bolton when he was stopped by officers on Ramsbottom Street, who found approximately £100k in cash hidden under a false floor in the van. He was arrested at the scene.

"Kara was later arrested on Shearbridge Road, Bradford. When officers searched his house they found 56 packages, each containing 1kg of heroin, with a street value of between £2.5 and £3 million, hidden in bags and a suitcase."

Brent Lyon, NCA Operations Manager, said: “The seizure of this significant amount of heroin is a big step towards protecting the public from the damage and devastation drugs cause. These drugs often end up in the hands of County Lines networks, where they fuel violence and the exploitation of young and vulnerable people.

“Tackling drug trafficking is one of our highest priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to pursue and disrupt offenders.”