A man from Cardiff, Wales, has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison for fraudulently distributing unhygienic, non-halal meat to Muslim restaurants and takeaways across South and West Wales.

Helim Miah, 46, of Kilcredaun House and owner of Universal Food Wholesale Limited, was convicted of fraudulent trading and trading while bankrupt after a trial at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. His co-defendant, Noaf Rahman, also 46 and from Cardiff, pleaded guilty before the trial began and received a 24-month suspended sentence.

The offences came to light following an investigation by Cardiff and the Vale Shared Regulatory Services in January 2019. During the probe, authorities seized 2,840 kilograms of frozen meat from a warehouse in Cardiff used by the pair.

Prosecutor Alex Greenwood stated that over a five-year period, customers of Muslim-owned restaurants and takeaways were unknowingly served non-halal meat, due to the pair’s illegal activities. The investigation revealed multiple violations, including:

• Altered sell-by dates

• Improperly traceable meat

• Chicken transported in unsanitary vans

• Cross-contamination between halal and non-halal meat

• Lack of proper hygiene in the facility’s “cutting room”

While some of the chicken had been purchased as halal, it was processed in facilities that also handled non-halal meat, rendering the entire supply non-compliant with halal standards. Additionally, the warehouse continued supplying meat during periods when no halal-certified stock was received from wholesalers.

Judge Vanessa Francis noted that Miah and Rahman had a “cavalier attitude” toward food safety and compliance. “The harm in my view is extensive,” she said. “This was a disaster waiting to happen and it is a matter of relief that it never did with the unsafe meat sent out of your premises.”

Judge Francis added that the two men operated behind a “corporate veil” to obscure their activities and create a confusing paper trail. She described the societal impact of their crimes as “difficult to quantify.”

Due to the highly sensitive nature of the case, the names of the affected businesses were not disclosed in court.

What Is Halal?

The term halal, meaning “permissible” in Arabic, refers to foods allowed under Islamic dietary laws. For meat to be considered halal:

• The animal must belong to a permissible species

• A short prayer must be recited by a Muslim, Christian, or Jew at the time of slaughter

• The animal must be alive at the time of slaughter

• The knife must be sharp and the slaughter quick, causing minimal stress

• All blood must be drained, and the meat must be clean and sourced from animals that were well-treated

Halal meat must not come into contact with non-halal substances, as this could render it najis (impure).

The Quran strongly forbids deception and fraud, as stated in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:42): “Do not mix truth with falsehood or conceal the truth while you know [it].”