Man jailed after taking on brother's £600k illegal business
A dealer who brazenly tried to resurrect his convicted brother’s drug line has been jailed for more than seven years after an investigation led by Essex Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU). More than 18 years in prison sentences have been secured against Ballayat Sayeed, 33, and two of his trusted lieutenants.
Essex Police had initially taken action against the ‘RAD’ drugs line in 2020, culminating in a 14-year prison sentence for its leader Arafat Sayeed. Arafat had been convicted of conspiring to supply Class A drugs and possession of firearms.
From October 2021, it was established that his brother, Ballayat, had kickstarted the drug line once again, building up a large customer base in the trade of Class A and B drugs. Officers traced bulk advertising messages sent out to customers on a regular basis until December 2022. Ballayat Sayeed, of Cowley Road, Ilford, was then the principal holder of the drugs line.
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He entrusted Qasir Afzal, 41, of Howard Close, Waltham Abbey, as his man on the ground, responsible for resupplying, supplying drugs to runners and giving them instructions. Another lieutenant Kailash Gunaseelan, 23, of Buntingbridge Road, Ilford, was also trusted to hold the drugs line phone.
During the investigation, patterns of behaviour emerged. It became clear Afzal used a Mitsubishi Shogun, left parked in a road in Loughton, as a stash location for drugs.
The investigation revealed that the drug line was lucrative, with a minimum of 12,900 drug deals across a 42-week period. It also showed that the drug line could make around £600,000 within 14 months.
Essex Police issued warrants at the addresses of Sayeed, Afzal and Gunaseelan in December 2022. All were arrested for conspiring to supply controlled substances and money laundering, with cocaine, cannabis and cash seized. Sayeed, Afzal and Gunaseelan later admitted supplying Class A and Class B drugs.
At Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, September 6, Sayeed was jailed for seven years and six months, Afzal for five years and seven months and Gunaseelan for five years and two months.
Detective Inspector Frazer Low, of SOCU, said: “Sayeed didn’t take the warning after his brother faced a significant prison sentence for similar activity, instead thinking he could succeed where he had failed.
“He and his associates were proven completely wrong.“Drug dealing fuels violence and exploitation, so any criminal bringing these substances into our county can expect to be quickly identified by my team or any number of other specialist teams within the force.
“We work to build concrete cases against those involved in these drug lines, from the top down. These are significant custodial sentences which reflect the level of criminality this group was involved in.”