Drug dealer ordered to hand over money

Mohammed Yaqoob

A man convicted of dealing Class A drugs in Rochdale has been ordered to pay back £129,733.99 of his illegal gains.

Mohammed Yaqoob, 48, of Yorkshire Street, Rochdale was convicted of conspiring to sell heroin and crack cocaine.

Yaqoob was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years imprisonment at Bolton Crown Court on Friday 10 December 2010.

In the Rochdale area, drug users commonly contact a particular phone number, marketed by drug dealers, to place an order.

The person answering the phone will then contact the dealer who will meet up with the customer at a pre-arranged place.

The person with the phone does not actually come into contact with any drugs or customers, they simply arrange the distribution of them.

Yaqoob used the dealer name of 'Yak' and used this method to deal Class A drugs in the Rochdale area with Khan and Parker.

A large amount of telephone data was examined, which uncovered a number of text messages relating to the supply of drugs, many addressed to 'Yak'.

Search warrants were carried out at Yorkshire Street, Rochdale and a large amount of cocaine and heroin was seized.

Following his conviction, a financial investigator reviewed Yaqoob's dealings under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA).

The hearing took place at Bolton Crown Court on Friday 20 April 2012.

Yaqoob was ordered to repay the full amount within six months or would serve an additional two years and two months imprisonment.

Mr Yaqoob is to be deported to Pakistan at the end of his term of imprisonment

Detective Constable Claire Rawcliffe of Rochdale CID said: "This is just another example of how the legislation works and can benefit officers in their investigations into offenders' finances and recover, as much as possible, profit made from criminal activity."

Anyone with information on the sale of drugs in Rochdale should call police on 0161 872 5050 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.