Huddersfield pharmacist Hafiz Noorullah faces retrial over drugs case

Nov 24 2009 by Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Huddersfield pharmacist faces retrial over drugs case

A FORMER Huddersfield pharmacist allegedly duped into storing two million stolen pills is to face a retrial.

Hafiz Noorullah, 43, of Fartown, was accused of keeping £1.7m worth of breast cancer, heart disease and Parkinson’s medication in his warehouse while a buyer was found for them.

London’s Southwark Crown Court was told the load had been en route from the Swiss headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Novartis to a distribution depot in Thatcham, Berkshire, when it was stolen in 2005.

It resurfaced two years later when a private detective spotted the medicines for sale on the internet.

After nearly six hours of deliberations, jurors cleared Noorullah of distributing medicine or products in breach of his wholesale dealer’s licence.

But they were discharged after failing to reach a verdict on one charge of handling stolen goods “on or before” November 11, 2007.

Mr Andrew Bird, prosecuting, said he would be seeking a retrial on that count, although its timing depended on what progress was made extraditing Aziz from Canada.

A hearing was fixed for December 18.

Noorullah was told he could remain on unconditional bail in the meantime.

Mr Bird said the private investigator contacted the drugs company and after being given permission to make further inquiries, used a false name to pose as a buyer “to get to the bottom of what was going on”.