Overview

• Farzana Kauser was sentenced to 13 years and four months by Birmingham Crown Court on July 18 after pleading guilty to importing 180 kilograms of cocaine into the UK.
• She recruited five of her children and a daughter-in-law to carry out five smuggling trips between August and November 2024, with her youngest son due to be sentenced in October.
• The group exploited luggage-free flights to Dublin or Amsterdam, timing returns to match Cancun arrivals and collecting unaccompanied suitcases loaded with drugs by corrupt insiders.
• Authorities estimated the 180 kg haul of high-purity cocaine had a street value of about £14.4 million.
• The National Crime Agency and Crown Prosecution Service collaboration secured guilty pleas and dismantled the network, formally closing the legal proceedings against the ring.