Two men have been convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin) with a value of approximately £1.2 million.
Tariq Khaliq, 44, of Park Road Wilmslow and Imran Malik, 39, of Warrington were both found guilty on Thursday, 30th October, by a jury after an eight day trial at Chester Crown Court.
A third man, Gameal Adawee, 44, also of Warrington, had pleaded guilty to the offence prior to the trial and is remanded in custody, awaiting sentence.
Sentencing was postponed after the trial to allow all three men to be sentenced together at a date to be set.
The three men were arrested between April 19th and May 6th 2014 as part of Operation Komodo, a pro-active investigation into the supply of Class A drugs carried out by Cheshire Constabulary′s Force Crime Operations Unit in partnership with West Midlands Police and the National Crime Agency.
During the operation 10kg of heroin were recovered by police after a vehicle, in which Adawee was travelling, and linked to Khaliq and Malik, was stopped by police on the M6 motorway heading into Cheshire.
Cheshire Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable Guy Hindle said: "This investigation focused upon stemming the supply of heroin into the North West and targeting the drug dealers. These convictions show how we can have a significant impact on those who seek to profit from drugs supply which spreads misery and fear across our towns and cities.
"I would urge anyone in the community who knows individuals who are involved in the supply of drugs to pass on whatever information they have to the Police by calling 101. If they want to do this anonymously they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 and we will act on it to make a difference in your community. This case proves how information from the community can put drug dealers in jail."
A photograph of the evidence recovered from the vehicle.
