An all-female gang jailed for smuggling cocaine has been dismantled after moving drugs worth £13.6 million across the UK. The network operated with precision, using encrypted messaging, secret passwords, and last-minute drop-off points to avoid police detection.
The operation ran between April and August 2022 and delivered over 170 kilos of high-purity cocaine to locations across the country. Couriers coordinated through the encrypted app Wickr, relying on codenames and constantly changing locations to stay under the radar.
The collapse of the network began on June 16, 2022, when Arvinder Bains, 39, from Telford, was stopped in London while carrying 10 kilos of compressed cocaine valued at £80,000. Forensic analysis of his phone revealed he was part of a wider scheme distributing 22 kilos that day alone.
Investigators traced the operation to Shahrukh Hummayiun, 29, from Wolverhampton, who organized the movements of three female couriers: Sindija Virse, 28, Gabriele Trinkunaite, 26, and Rubanpreet Kaur, 26. Messages recovered from the group detailed meeting points, vehicle information, and precise timing for drug handovers. Evidence showed Hummayiun instructed couriers to have vehicles ready and to scout locations in advance.
The arrests took place in January 2025. Trinkunaite was detained by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit on January 14. Hummayiun tried to flee to Dubai the next day but was stopped at Gatwick Airport. Kaur and Virse were arrested at their homes on January 15.
Birmingham Crown Court sentenced the five members to a combined total of 30 years and five months. Hummayiun received ten years and nine months for conspiracy to supply cocaine. Trinkunaite was jailed for seven years and eight months. Kaur received five years and four months. Virse was sentenced to six years and eight months. Bains had already been sentenced to nine years in December 2022 for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
Detective Inspector Richard Smith from the Organised Crime Partnership said the gang’s network was sophisticated and far-reaching. He praised the dedicated investigators who dismantled the network and removed the threat from communities across the UK.
The case highlights the increasing use of technology in drug trafficking and the role of coordinated police operations in tackling organized crime. It also shows how even carefully planned networks can unravel when law enforcement combines digital forensics with targeted interventions.
