Five jailed over £1.5m heroin rug plot
Meanwhile, 21-year-old Ibrar, from Fernley Road, Sparkhill, was jailed for eight months for his relatively minor role in the smuggling attempt.
Four of the men admitted conspiracy to import class A drugs, while Ibrar admitted money laundering.
Speaking after the sentences were handed down, Soca's deputy director Andy Sellers said: "These were bright young men who thought they had found a way to make some quick money.
"Their plan was ingenious and they probably believed that using an unregistered phone would protect them, but they were wrong.
"A combination of excellent work by Customs officers at Birmingham Airport in finding the drugs, the speed with which they contacted Soca and enabled us to start an investigation, and the watertight evidence extracted from the telephone data, made sure their plan failed."
Jim Jarvie, of HM Revenue and Customs, said: "The painstaking and ingenious method used by smugglers to weave the class A drugs into these rugs - 25 in all - showed the determination of this organised crime gang.
"Their aim was to make big money through this premeditated conspiracy that brings devastation and destruction to all our communities.
"Working closely with our partners in the Serious Organised Crime Agency, this smuggling attempt was disrupted and these criminals have been brought to justice, receiving lengthy prison sentences for their actions."
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