A gang boss who imported thousands of kilos of drugs into the UK is one of eight people from around Watford in court this week.
The list also includes a serial shoplifter who had a “flagrant disregard" for people's property, and a Watford man accused of stealing a £30,000 car from a rental company.
Read the full list below:
Mohammed Waqas Khan
The Watford gang kingpin, Mohammed Waqas Khan, 35, was handed 27-and-a-half years in jail over drugs and gun charges at Luton Crown Court on Friday, April 26.
Khan, of Princes Avenue, was previously found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and ketamine, possession of firearms with intent to cause fear of violence, and possession of ammunition.
He led a organised crime group in Watford and Luton which involved a hierarchy of criminals including a lieutenant, couriers, and subordinates who stored drugs and firearms.
Police said the gang had imported "enormous amounts" of class A drugs into the UK, causing "widespread harm", while several kilogrammes of cocaine and heroin, cash, six firearms, and 180 rounds of ammunition during raids in April 2020.
Lyle David
Lyle Davids, 25, of Rickmansworth Road, was sentenced at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court on Monday for driving his Audi A4 without insurance in St Albans Road, Watford, on April 14, 2023.
Although the 25-year-old did not appear, the charges were proved in his absence and he was ordered to pay a total of £1,224, of which £660 was a fine, and received six points to his licence.
Aaron Tucker
Aaron Tucker, 32, appeared in St Albans Crown Court on Tuesday where he pleaded not guilty to stalking and possessing a knife blade/sharp article in a public place.
The South Oxhey man was in court after multiple armed officers and police dogs entered an Oxhey Drive building on March 23, following reports that a man had a “bladed article” in the road.
The trial has been scheduled for September 12.
Abdul Hamid
Abdul Hamid, 35, of Sydney Road, appeared at St Albans Magistrates' Court on Wednesday for sentencing over several driving offences.
He had previously admitted driving without insurance, a front registration plate or a valid MOT certificate in Hemel Hempstead on August 15, 2022.
He was ordered to pay a total of £925, of which there was a £600 fine, and received six points to his licence.
Jessica Ellis
A Watford woman labelled a “persistent” thief avoided jail on Monday after she was sentenced at Hatfield Magistrates' Court over numerous theft and burglary offences committed between August 2023 and March.
Jessica Ellis, 28, of no fixed address in Watford, was handed a 36-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months, and 18 months of supervision, after she previously pleaded guilty to all charges.
Although the court ruled she had “a flagrant disregard for people and their property”, it decided there was a "realistic chance of rehabilitation" and she was ordered to complete a six-month drug rehabilitation programme
Pietro Aru
Pietro Aru, of Rickmansworth Road, Watford, was at St Albans Magistrates' Court on Monday, April 22, accused of stealing a rental car in Watford worth £30,000.
A 42-year-old man was charged with the theft of a Volkswagen Golf from the Europcar branch at 247 Lower High Street on November 24, 2023.
The case was adjourned for him to enter a plea at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on August 19 and he was released on unconditional bail.
James Anderson
James Anderson, of no fixed address in Watford, appeared at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court on Monday accused of theft from a shop and failure to comply with a Community Protection Notice.
Police had arrested a suspect the previous Thursday while investigating reports of shoplifting from Victoria’s Secret in atria Watford.
The 37-year-old appeared and was released on bail with conditions including not to enter the shopping centre before his next court appearance on September 5.
Dean Francis Joseph
Dean Francis Joseph, of Vega Road, Bushey, appeared in St Albans Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, April 23, accused of threatening and assaulting another man at Croxley Station.
The 48-year-old had previously denied the offences, which happened on April 29 last year, but was found guilty on Tuesday.
He had already pleaded guilty to possessing cannabis, and will be sentenced on May 23.
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