Drug 'Godfather' faces jail

The leader of a Turkish drugs gang who organised the shipment of heroin worth £1 million into Britain each week is today facing a lengthy jail sentence.

Behind his facade as a hardworking cafe owner in Green Lanes, north London, 50-year-old Hayri Goztas was the "godfather" of one of Britain's biggest drug smuggling operations.

He is likely to get more than 20 years after being convicted at Kingston Crown Court of conspiracy to supply heroin. He ruled his gang by fear and employed dozens of henchmen.

He was known by gang members as "Aga", Turkish for leader, and organised shipments of heroin by the lorryload from Afghanistan via Turkey to Britain. His empire was smashed by a National Crime Squad undercover operation.

A member of the squad said: "It is our estimate that over a year he was importing the equivalent of ? 1million of heroin a week. Some was detected but a lot wasn't. Goztas was a big player and this investigation had a major effect on the supply of heroin, not only in London but in other British cities."

Goztas has a wife and two children in Britain and another wife in his native city of Adana in Turkey. He used visits to his wife in Turkey as cover for arranging his heroin shipments.

Being sentenced with Goztas are his right-hand man Kenan Gumus, 45, and his fixer Arif Korkmaz, 46.

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Warnock of the National Crime Squad said: "Goztas was feared by many and we believe he was prepared to use violence to exert power. He made sure he did not show conspicuous signs of his wealth, but he led a double life."

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