Ringleader Behind £500,000 Stolen Chicken Scam Jailed
A gang caught handling stolen goods worth over half a million pounds has been busted and jailed in Greater Manchester for their ‘professional and sophisticated’ fraud operation.
Frozen Chicken Fraud Sparks Major Investigation
Greater Manchester Police’s Economic and Cyber Crime Unit launched their probe in 2017 after a lorry full of frozen chicken worth €75,000 was dumped at a haulage yard. The haul was bought fraudulently using cloned details from a real UK company.
The scam expanded beyond chicken. Investigators uncovered 13 European companies duped out of goods like milk powder, olive oil, turkey, almonds, fruit syrup, electronics, and meat between 2017 and 2018.
Wholesalers and Haulage Yards Used to Move Stolen Goods
Stolen goods were rerouted through local haulage yards, including one owned by Paul Barrett, and handled at Manchester Food Traders, a now-closed wholesaler. The total value passing through the operation was estimated at £509,000 to £526,000.
Key Players Convicted and Sentenced
- Devinder Singh (ringleader, Bramley Close, Swinton): Jailed for six years and six months.
- Zakaria Dean (Birkenhills Drive): Jailed for two years and nine months.
- Mohammad Farid (Princess Road): Given a two-year suspended sentence and 20 days of rehabilitation.
- Lakhvinder Singh (Bramley Close, Swinton): Jailed for nine months for breaching a previous company director disqualification.
All were found guilty of conspiracy to handle stolen goods after a trial last year. Devinder and Lakhvinder Singh had previously been banned from acting as company directors for 13 years but flagrantly ignored the court order.
Co-Conspirator Avoids Immediate Jail
Paul Barrett admitted to facilitating the criminal operation by helping with some lorry loads and was handed an 18-month suspended sentence plus 100 hours unpaid work.
Police Praise Crackdown on Crime Network
“Devinder Singh’s offending was described as ‘professional and sophisticated’ during sentencing,” confirmed GMP.
The gang operated mainly through Manchester Food Traders and used haulage yards in Oldham and across Greater Manchester to shift the stolen stash.
