U.K. Lawyer at Heart of Heroin Ring
A corrupt lawyer at the heart of a multimillion-dollar British heroin ring reportedly is headed to jail for his role in orchestrating bogus alibis and fraudulent evidence to help associates avoid criminal conviction.
Solicitor Naveen Sagar, 32, will be jailed today, after pleading guilty to burglary, fraud, contempt of court and perverting the course of justice, reports the London Times. He is expected to be disbarred after he is sentenced, and authorities have an order allowing the confiscation of more than 1 million pounds in assets. However, they admit they are unlikely to trace millions apparently sent to offshore accounts.
“We know the money has gone worldwide,” says Detective Chief Inspector Peter Beyer of Scotland Yard. “This gang controlled a large part of the drug trade in London, it was a multimillion-pound business. They were very astute, always thinking about how to launder the money.”
A key player in the organized crime network who wore designer suits, drove a Porsche 911 and invested in real estate, Sagar “laundered drug money, orchestrated false defenses and supplied bogus witnesses to help major criminals to evade justice,” the Times article recounts. “He was involved directly in fraud and burglary and was suspected of trying to derail an Old Bailey murder case after police found a picture of the trial jury on his mobile phone.”
