Drug kingpin’s cracked Audi taillight helped expose £19m Cali-weed smuggling empire

16 June 2026 , 15:48

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Drug kingpin’s cracked Audi taillight helped expose £19m Cali-weed smuggling empire

It was a £19 million drugs operation involving smuggling designer cannabis through UK airports in pallets of vintage clothes.

But it all came crashing down when drug kingpin, Dean Hussain, 29, whose army of street dealers was ready to flood Britain with potent strains of cannabis from California, was unknowingly caught out by a picture captured by a DHL driver.

Known as Cali-weed, with its bright packaging, special strains, and flavors that mimic the likes of Oreos and Biscoff biscuits, the consignments saw kingpin Hussain rake in thousands of pounds every week.

One gram costs users between £20 and £30 – and the drug is famous for its potent levels of THC, which gives users an intense feeling of euphoria but can also lead to panic attacks, paranoia, and hallucinations lasting hours.

The gang smuggled 28 shipments into the UK between December 2022 and January 2024. 

Five were intercepted by Border Force officials who found nearly 130kg of cannabis said to have been worth more than £902,000 at wholesale price and £3.7m on the street.

Police believe all the shipments were of similar size with a total value of £19.3 million if sold by dealers.

Hussain used the name of a legitimate company to bring in his supplies, but used different addresses, emails, and phone numbers to make sure he got his haul.

He then organized for pallets to be picked up and delivered by unsuspecting companies like DHL, who met his associates at houses in and around Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

While Hussain thought he’d outsmarted cops with this clever plot, he was finally caught red-handed by a DHL driver taking a snap for proof of his completed delivery.

He’d unknowingly handed over drugs and, in the process, captured a picture of the drug lord’s Audi A3 with a cracked rear light.

It ultimately led to cops being able to take down Hussain and his designer weed empire after his arrest in early 2024, with the dealer now languishing in jail thanks to his dodgy taillight.

Detective Constable Peter Martin, lead officer in the case, told The Sun: “Most of the images taken by delivery drivers were just of boxes or pallets, but in one we could make out an Audi A3 and its boot has been loaded with boxes.

“We noticed the taillight was broken, and it was this that helped us track down Hussain’s car. This was in part what helped bring him down.”

James Smith

Editor-in-Chief