Jailed gun plot ringleader ordered to pay £350k

The ringleader of a nationwide drugs and firearms conspiracy who was jailed for 25 years has been ordered to pay back £350,000.

Umair Zaheer, 37, formerly of Eccles, was among seven men jailed in February 2022 after police uncovered a plot to carry out a revenge shooting and sell a stash of firearms.

A judge at Manchester Crown Court has now told Zaheer he must give back £350,000 - the total value of his assets - within three months.

Det Insp Rebecca McGuigan of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said Zaheer would have to serve another three-and-a-half years in jail if he failed to comply with the order.

If returned, the money will be reinvested into local community projects, Det Insp McGuigan said.

Zaheer had gained a total of £692,000 from his criminal activities, Greater Manchester Police said.

Plans for the revenge shooting were uncovered alongside evidence of drug dealing after detectives infiltrated the secret crime communications network EncroChat, a court previously heard.

It was hatched to target those who shot at two of the men during an attack in 2020 in Salford.

Det Insp McGuigan said: "Some of the serious criminality in Salford in the years before these arrests was a result of these individuals and it would be wrong for any of them to benefit from their ill-gotten gains."

"We will be trying to reclaim the rest of the money if we prove he has more cash or assets we can seize," she added.

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