Drug gang ringleader ordered to pay back £350,000 of criminal proceeds

The ringleader of a nationwide drugs and firearms conspiracy jailed for 25 years will now have to pay back £350,000.

Umair Zaheer was jailed in February 2022 along with three other men following a joint investigation with the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Zaheer, (22/6/1987), formerly of Somerset Road, Eccles, was arrested by the NCA in October 2020 following the interception of encrypted mobile phones.

Zaheer, Jordan Waring, Brandon Moore, and Louis Coleman were jailed at Manchester Crown Court after being convicted of eight offences between them, including conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and a million-pound conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

A confiscation hearing at Manchester Crown Court on 20/5/25 was told that Zaheer had benefited from £692,000 from his criminal activities.

The court ordered him to surrender £350,000 – the total value of his assets.

DI Rebecca McGuigan, of our Salford Challenger team, said: “Some of the serious criminality in Salford in the years before these arrests was a result of these individuals and it would be wrong for any of them to benefit from their ill-gotten gains.

“If Zaheer fails to pay within three months then he will serve an extra three-and-a-half years in jail, and still have to sell his assets and pay using the proceeds.

“We will be trying to reclaim the rest of the money if we prove he has more cash or assets we can seize.”

Last year our Economic Crime Unit recovered more than £15m of criminals’ money.

DI Rebecca McGuigan added: “Reclaiming cash this way not only disrupts criminal activity but it also directly benefits communities across Greater Manchester.

“These funds will be reinvested into vital community programmes and services through our Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) funding scheme.”