In dramatic events, a Coventry Road luxury car hire firm belonging to controversial online influencer Lord Aleem recieved a visit from West Midlands Gangs and Organised Crime unit and HMRC resulting in the seizure of assets over £1.7 million unpaid taxes. A white Mercedes-Benz G-Class worth £130,000 was among the vehicles seized.
For those who may not be familiar, Birmingham's 'Lord' Aleem Iqbal is a prominent figure in the social media scene, who presents himself online as a calm and professional young man, projecting values of hard work and business success. However, a YouTube video clip shows a different side, depicting him in a threatening and manic state during an encounter related to a fake online account.
His family history, including his father's criminal record for involvement in serious organised crime, adds complexity to the narrative.
Despite Aleem's image of glamour and wealth, the location of his business in Yardley, a less prestigious area of Birmingham, raises questions about the incongruity between the business's purported wealthy clientele and its unassuming surroundings.
Having uncovered the highly unusual non payment of over a million pounds of tax - observers are asking if the ongoing tax investigation will uncover potential links to organized crime, reminiscent of Aleem's father Saleem's past involvement in money laundering for drug trafficking and terrorist networks.
In interviews, such as the Strike It Big podcast appearance featuring Aleem and father Saleem, the Iqbal family claim that their wealth stems from hard work and successful business ventures, such as a car wash, but the shadow of past convictions looms large.
In in-depth, 3-hour podcasts , Saleem chooses not to mention that as a father to young Aleem, he spent time in prison for his fraudulent involvement in the trial at which of one of his heroin-dealing associates was convicted of the murder of 16-year-old school girl he had hired for sex. These murder convictions were later ruled to have been made under as misapplication of the law and were overturned, the two men only serving prison terms for dumping the body of the schoolgirl, who had never taken heroin before, and who died from a double shot of the drug of very high purity which the two men had provided, while they were out at a nightclub. Saleem's conviction was not affected and he remained guilty of his offence.
Despite this information being publicly available, and totally undisputed (some fans have sought to claim that this was a different person with the same name. We can confirm that this is not the case), it seems that Lord Aleem and his family are able to rely on the support of these so-called 'alternative media' sources to keep their audience ignorant of the realities which would harm the story they are selling to their audience.
Aleem's association with fellow Muslim Andrew Tate, another influencer facing legal troubles, invites parallels.
In an era where every drug lord aspires to be instagram famous, ostentatiously posing with the cars purchased from the proceeds of crime, influencers, particularly those who claim not to be gangsters and criminals but instead, hard working entrepreneurs, and who have a young following who see them as a role models, are likely to come under increasing scrutiny to explain a legitimate and legal source their wealth.
While some may argue that Aleem is targeted due to his Muslim background, such claims are easily refuted, emphasizing the importance of separating fact from online disinformation.
Many of his fans who suggest that the family are unfairly targetted, possibly because of their religion, are unfamiliar with Saleem's two criminal convictions.
The second criminal case Saleem Iqbal was found guilty of did not result in prison time, as the father received a suspended sentence.
But he was convicted of one of the largest money laundering cases the UK had ever seen, telling us that after his conviction for trying to protect his murder-accused drug dealer friend, he still had involvement in the world of organised crime.
This provokes important questions, regarding information, ignorance and knowledge : we live in what was frequently called an information age, but do we need to update our language to acknowledge that it is frequently an age of disinformation and worrying ignorance?
With iy laundering conviction and his prison sentence for asking a witness to lie at the murder trial of a friend of his, is readily available via a web search, why is knowledge and awareness not more widespread?
Telling their audience what they want to hear, and avoiding what the audience does not want to hear, has been a recipe for success for the YouTube channels supporting and making money from controversial figures such as Andew Tate and Lord Aleem, long suspected of links to organised crime.
We have to ask questions of who we hold accountabiliy and how we restore the prestige of reliable, fact-based reporting, especially amongst a younger audience.
In the evolving landscape of influencers and social media personas, the fate of Lord Aleem's empire hangs in the balance. As the tax investigation unfolds, there is speculation that further criminal ties, particularly in the drug trade, may be exposed. The investigation may unveil more about the true nature of the business, shedding light on a world that, until now, remained mostly hidden behind the glamorous façade of luxury car rentals and polished social media appearances.
Jason King
Birmingham City-Desk
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