NRI jailed for smuggling drugs in UK

An Indian-origin former Air Canada flight attendant has been jailed eight years for smuggling almost 250,000 pounds worth of cocaine into UK.

Mandeep Shahi, 27, was sentenced by the Southwark Crown Court yesterday for her role in what the police call a "cocaine conspiracy" to import at least four kilogrammes of cocaine as she travelled from Pearson to Heathrow airports last March.

"Shahi abused her position as a member of cabin crew and is now facing the consequences of her corruption," said detective inspector Sarah Staff, of London's metropolitan police service.

The police said Shahi smuggled the cocaine into England in her luggage and then she delivered the drugs to her conspirators in London hotel rooms.

Simon Howard-Harwood, 28, Baljinder Nijjar, 28, and Ghulem Malik, 53, were also convicted of a number of smuggling-related offences.

Shahi is married to Nijjar's cousin, Bhupinder Sanghera. The Daily Mail reported that Shahi wept at the hearing yesterday as the judge said Shahi and her fellow conspirators took advantage of the lack of security checks on Air Canada staff.

"As you well knew through your cousin, and perhaps Ms Shahi, Canada is not regarded as a country that poses a great risk of prohibited drugs being brought to this country," judge Michael Gledhill saying to co-accused Nijjar.

He added, "...There is virtually a nil risk that flights coming into this country from Canada would be subjected to random checks of crew."

Shahi claimed she was an unwitting drug courier, set up by her husband and his cousin. Police had been watching Howard-Harwood and Nijjar for months, but only caught Shahi when she made a delivery to the men at a central London hotel on March 26, 2010.

She was not arrested, however, until August, when she returned to London as part of Air Canada's flight crew.

An Air Canada spokesperson said Shahi was no longer employed by the airline.