Man caught with £500,000 of cocaine in car claims brother 'framed' him

A takeaway restaurant owner caught after a £500,000 cocaine handover claimed he was “framed” by his accountant brother.

Nadeem Ahmed was stopped in the Knightswood area of Glasgow having collected bags that he said he believed contained designer clothes and trainers, on June 17, 2022.

But the bags in the boot of his car were found to contain 12kg of the class A drug.

The 41-year-old denied being involved in crime and blamed a “jealous” younger brother.

Jurors convicted Ahmed of being concerned in the supply of cocaine following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.

He faces a jail term when sentenced in the New Year.

Ahmed told the trial his younger brother lost his chartered accountancy job during the Covid pandemic.

He said he helped his sibling by taking him on at his busy takeaway in the city’s Yoker.

But, Ahmed described how his brother was unreliable and would often come in late.

Despite this, Ahmed said the pair discussed opening a restaurant in Dubai.

They flew out there before returning separately.

After arriving home, the brother apparently said he was returning to the United Arab Emirates, and Ahmed claimed that was the last time he saw him.

He said he got a call days later from his sibling.

Ahmed told jurors: “He was like, ‘Look, a friend is going to come and see you. They have my belongings. Just take it’.”

Ahmed said he was not interested but that his brother “would not leave him alone” and claimed there would be “consequences” if he did not collect the bags.

He told jurors he eventually agreed before putting them in his car’s boot.

Ahmed’s defence KC Tony Graham asked him if he was not “suspicious” about what was inside.

He claimed to have no idea it was a large drugs consignment.

Ahmed instead believed it was designer clothes and shoes – such as Adidas Yeezy trainers – as his brother was often “buying and selling” such items every three to four weeks.

Ahmed said: “I treated him more like a son than a brother. I never thought he would throw me under the bus.”

Mr Graham said he had not checked the bags because it was “not his stuff and never thought there would be drugs”.

Ahmed, of Cambuslang, was later pulled over by police in his car, and the haul was discovered along with around £7,000 in cash.

He recalled: “They said they were doing a drugs check. I thought: ‘He has framed me, he has set me up’.”

When quizzed about why he thought this, Ahmed claimed his brother was “jealous” of him because he was a “successful businessman”.

He said he last spoke to his brother on the phone to confront him after his initial court appearance in 2022.

Ahmed said: “I asked why he had set me up. He said: ‘No comment’.”

He also alleged his sibling told him he could not return to the UK as he was now “on the run”.

Under cross-examination, prosecutor James Irvine asked Ahmed why he had not told the police about his brother at the time.

He claimed he did not know it would have “made any difference”.

Mr Irvine said Ahmed had “took the chance that night and got caught”.

Kerr Jones, 22, of Holytown, Lanarkshire, had earlier pleaded guilty to the same charge in connection with his involvement prior to Ahmed’s trial.