Illegal waste boss arrested on runway lands in jail

A 55-year old man was arrested on the runway of Heathrow airport as he tried to flee the country to avoid paying back the proceeds of his illegal waste business.


Amrik Johal has now been jailed for three years after he was stopped while boarding a flight to Delhi last Thursday (May 16) without paying the full amount of a £881,513 confiscation order – money he needed to cough up for waste crimes he was convicted of in 2010.

The Environment Agency brought a case against Johal in 2008 for running an illegal waste site in Slough, Berkshire. Noisy activities at the site, which included the crushing of cars, the burning of diesel and dumping of waste between January 2006 and March 2007, caused misery for his neighbours.

The court ordered him to pay over £880,000 under the proceeds of crime act, but he failed to pay the full amount, despite owning a number of properties.

A warrant for Johal’s arrest was issued on May 10 2013 after he failed to appear at court to explain why he had not paid up.

His attempt to flee the country was scuppered when airport security checks found that a warrant with no bail had been issued for him. The Metropolitan Police Special Branch at Heathrow Airport was forced to stop the plane, and the culprit was arrested on the runway.

Maxine Perella

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