A CONVICTED drugs trafficker has been jailed for two and a half years for laundering £43,000 of defrauded money through his bank account to help pay off a substantial heroin debt.

Shahid Saleem was on prison licence at the time after being released from an eight-year sentence for Class A drugs offences, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Saleem, 52, of Bargrange Avenue, Shipley, pleaded guilty to two offences of possession of criminal property between July 3 and 24, 2020.

Prosecutor Adam Walker said £43,000 was paid into his bank account in two instalments after a Scottish company was defrauded in a sophisticated and sustained period of criminality.

The scam was uncovered when payments expected by the firm failed to arrive.

Saleem had thousands of pounds of debt and laundered the money for his drug dealer to reduce the amount he owed to pay for his heroin addiction, the court was told.

Mr Walker said the offending was aggravated by the fact that he was on licence and the money going through his account was being used for criminal purposes.

Saleem’s barrister, Kristina Goodwin, said he accepted his involvement in the offending and didn’t seek to minimise his part in it.

He was approached by his drug dealer who offered to reduce the debt he had run up for his heroin addiction.

Miss Goodwin said Saleem had tried his best to rehabilitate himself but had struggled with his drugs use. He had now taken steps to get help.

He had been offered the job as an area manager and planned to start a university degree.

He had also been on the waiting list for an operation and had now been given a date for it later this month.

The court heard that he had a wife and elderly parents and a stable home address.

Miss Goodwin said Saleem regretted his involvement and wished he could turn back the clock.

But Recorder James Baird said the criminal money had come from a sophisticated fraud on the company.

Sums adding up to £43,000 had been paid into Saleem’s bank account and he had withdrawn money and handed it over to be used for criminal purposes.

Saleem had 11 previous convictions for 22 offences, including theft and fraud, as well as the involvement in large-scale drug dealing.

Recorder Baird said the probation report ‘made unhappy reading’ and the only possible sentence was one of immediate imprisonment.