A COUPLE has been sentenced to a combined total of more than 10 years in jail for their parts in operating a drug supply line in Maldon from inside prison.
Abdul Hamid, 39, of HMP Five Wells and formerly of Sassoon Way, Maldon, was already in prison having previously been sentenced to 18 years in 2021, for conspiring to supply cocaine and concealing criminal property.
In 2022, he was further ordered to repay more than £775,000 after officers showed he had gained through his criminality.
Despite this, he had attempted to orchestrate his drugs network from inside prison, recruiting others to deal cocaine across the Maldon district.
His partner, 31-year-old Shannen Taylor, played her part in the network by selling cocaine and laundering sums of money through various accounts connected to Hamid.
Taylor was questioned in 2021 but denied any connection to the drug dealing.
In court, prosecutors argued Taylor could not deny any money coming from accounts connected to Hamid was connected to drug dealing as he was currently in prison charged with supplying cocaine in his first court case.
On top of this, texts with drug users on Taylor's phone were shown lining up with payments into her bank account.
After an exhaustive investigation by Essex Police's Economic Crime Team, Taylor was charged alongside Hamid.
Prior to the trial at Inner London Crown Court, Hamid pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to convert criminal property.
Earlier in the trial, Taylor also pleaded guilty to unauthorised communication within a prison.
On Tuesday, the jury found Taylor guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to convert criminal property.
Hamid was sentenced to six years in prison, running consecutively to his previous convictions.
Taylor, of Beauchamps, in Burnham, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for the cocaine supply conspiracy.
She also received concurrent sentences of 18 months for converting criminal property and seven months unauthorised communication within a prison.
Sergeant Mike Monkton said: “This was only possible thanks to hundreds of hours of investigative work to connect the individuals to transactions shown in their accounts and the drug dealing associated with it.
"Hamid recruited his partner to try and revive his criminal empire – we quickly put an end to this.
“He tried to hide the drug dealing and money laundering that he would be the ultimate beneficiary of.
“Taylor never offered any other explanation for how she came to receive sudden unexpected payments or why drug users were paying her, but knew exactly what Hamid had pleaded guilty to in his first trial and received a lengthy prison sentence for.
“This sends a clear message to anyone involved in the harmful cycle of drug dealing. If you try to hide your ill-gotten gains, we will find them – the messages don’t lie.”
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