A group of thieves who crossed the Pennines to commit high-value vehicle burglaries have been jailed for a combined 15 years.
One of the defendants, Hamza Ghafoor, filmed himself before and after committing the burglaries in East Lancashire, which turned out to be key evidence in his conviction.
Between September 2023 and November 2023, Ghafoor and his co-conspirators Kamran Ahmed, Mohammed Zubhir, Denzel Muduma, Jordan May and Dylan Shuttleworth broke into properties in Pendle, Blackburn, the Ribble Valley, Hyndburn and Chorley, stealing the key high-value vehicles.
At a previous hearing, Zubhir admitted that he used his property in Audley Range to supply tools and equipment to other members of the conspiracy.
These cars were often driven in convoy with other vehicles at high speed, and some were involved in crashes.
On September 11 2023, a £35,000 Volkswagen Tiguan was stolen from outside a property in Colne. The car was abandoned following a pursuit in Keighley, and its £2,500 sound system had been stripped out.
A cracked iPhone was recovered from inside the Tiguan, which was traced back to Muduma.
Weeks later, an Audi Q5 and an Audi Q3 were stolen from outside a property in Blackburn. The Q5 was tracked to Bradford and recovered by West Yorkshire Police.
Lancashire Constabulary’s enquiries found that Ahmed and Muduma were responsible for that burglary.
On October 30, a £79,000 BMW X3 was stolen from outside a property in Langho. The first time the victim knew about it was when he was awoken by officers to say the BMW had been involved in a road traffic collision in Bradford, and they suspected it could have been stolen.
Ahmed’s DNA was recovered from the driver’s airbag, May’s DNA was recovered from the front seat passenger’s airbag, as well as from four lighters and a bag found inside the BMW. Zubhir’s DNA was also found on one of the lighters.
On November 3 2023, an Audi SQ5 was stolen from outside a property in Clitheroe.
Two debit cards were also stolen, and both were used in the early hours of the same morning. CCTV was recovered from the stores where the cards were used, and a man was arrested and charged in relation to their use.
However, he denied committing the burglary and said he had been given the cards by Zubhir.
On November 7 2023, an Audi S4 was stolen from outside a property in Accrington. It was seen driving in convoy with an Audi A3 dangerously in Accrington, and both cars failed to stop when requested to by officers.
The Audi A3 was found abandoned in Accrington, and Ghafoor's fingerprint was recovered from a false number plate found inside the car.
Ahmed’s DNA was recovered from a blowtorch found inside the Audi S4, which was abandoned in Bradford following a second pursuit. Muduna, Ahmed and Zubhir were linked to the burglary by telephone evidence.
On November 10 2023, a Volkswagen Golf was stolen from outside a property in Chorley. Ahmed and Zubhir were linked to the burglary by telephone evidence.
On November 19 2023, a red Mercedes CLA 45 was stolen from outside a property in Longridge. When Ghafoor was arrested, his phone contained which contained a significant amount of incriminating evidence. This included an image of the stolen Mercedes.
Victim impact statements read out by prosecutor Amanda Johnson explained how residents were left fearing for their children after the incidents, with the knowledge that the gang knew where they lived and that they could return at any time.
Others spoke of the financial burden caused by the burglaries and how their insurance premiums had skyrocketed after the attack.
Ghafoor, Ahmed Muduma and Zubhir were also linked to the burglary by other telephone evidence.
On November 25 2023, the victims were on holiday in Cambodia when they saw offenders breaking into their Langho home. Police attended and found that two BMWs had been stolen from outside the property.
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Zubhir, Ghafoor and Shuttleworth were linked to the burglary via telephone evidence.
DC Tom Archer from the East Targeted Crime Team said: “The majority of the offenders in this case were already serving prison sentences for similar offences committed in other force areas at the time of sentencing. It is, however, satisfying to know that they will now have to spend even longer behind bars.
“These persistent criminals, who cross borders to commit crime, cause havoc and great distress to many hardworking individuals. They deserve nothing less than a prison sentence.
“We will continue to investigate and target offenders from outside our area who bring misery to our local communities.”
When Ghafoor was arrested, a significant amount of incriminating evidence was recovered from his phone, including the defendant filming himself inside the stolen BMWs.
During a search of his bedroom, officers found a Louis Vuitton bag containing 926 wraps of crack cocaine and 319 wraps of heroin.
Hamza Ghafoor, 22, of Sunderland Road, Bradford, was jailed for six years.
Mohammed Zubhir, 24, of Clayton Road, Bradford, was jailed for three years and nine months.
Jordan May, 23, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years and four months.
Denzel Maduma, 20, of Thorpe Audlin, Pontefract, was jailed for three years and four months.
Kamran Ahmed, 23, of Thorpe Street, Halifax, was jailed for two years.
Dylan Shuttleworth, 18, of Trinity Street, Oswaldtwistle, was given a 12-month youth referral order.
