A former bank manager who became a gangster’s moll has been jailed for running a £24,000-a-month drugs empire.
Szenm Asghar, 37, worked in corporate banking with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Natwest before she joined the ‘Sniper’ drugs line with unemployed husband Rashid Hussain, 35.
The pair preyed on vulnerable addicts in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, and flooded the streets with heroin and crack cocaine while living a ‘luxurious lifestyle’.
They splashed out on designer Rolex watches, clothing and even two pedigree cats, which were found alongside drug paraphernalia when police raided their home in December last year.
More than £20,000 in cash was hidden throughout their luxury apartment in a £3.1 million development in Bamford, and some was on display in the lounge.
A total of 10 mobile phones were also found, which contained ‘marketing’ texts with the tagline ‘Sniper Line Active – Best Gear in Town’.
Phone footage showed Hussain clutching giant wads of cash and bragging: ‘This money has made me.’
The pair were arrested in December last year, but Asghar claimed she did not know how her husband got his money, and she acted out of ‘misguided loyalty’.
Asghar moved back to her hometown of Bury when she was on bail, where she continued to run her drugs line.
A second raid at her home uncovered more than £15,000 in cash, a total of 86g of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as 1kg of the painkiller phenacetin, which is used to mix into drugs to increase volume.
In all, detectives found 275 wraps of heroin and 174 wraps of cocaine, as well as £2,390 in cash in an envelope, £2,595 and almost £10,000 stashed inside two scarves, and a further £475.
Asghar was jailed for three years and four months and Hussain was jailed for seven and a half years at Manchester Crown Court after both were convicted of possessing criminal property and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
Accounting notes found in the address showed that in a seven-day period, £12,705 cash was received with another £7,755 received the following week.
Another note stated: ‘Paid 14 thousand cash on 28th September 2021, remaining balance is £11,000 by the end of 31st October 2021 to be paid.’
Detective sergeant Gabe Gibson, of Rochdale Police, said: ‘Hussain and his partner Asghar used the handle “Sniper” to peddle their drugs, but they shot themselves in the foot by leaving a wealth of evidence to be recovered from their home addresses.
‘Asghar was seemingly immersed into Hussain’s drug dealing world, but having enjoyed the proceeds of crime, wanted more.
‘Asghar clearly benefited from this illicit enterprise, possessing large amounts of cash, designer goods, taking over the drugs business herself after Hussain was remanded in custody, enabling her lifestyle to be maintained.’
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