LONDON — Two men were convicted of smuggling heroin by hiding it in the fabric of carpets imported from Pakistan, British police said Tuesday.

Abdul Khaliq, 45, and Yadegar Nazari, 40, were found guilty in September of importing 60 pounds of high-grade heroin. On Monday, Khaliq was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Nazari was jailed for 16 years, police said.

They were arrested after police intercepted a shipment of rugs carrying plastic straws woven into the thread of the carpet. Each straw contained what police said was a “carefully stashed” quantity of heroin.

The Afghan carpets were bound for Khaliq’s home address in northwest London, where police monitored their delivery in March 2008. Khaliq was arrested on the day of the delivery. Nazari was arrested in May.

“This was an unusual and high-quality concealment that these two criminals clearly thought would go undetected,” Detective Chief Inspector Peter Weinberg said in a statement. “The fact that it did not should serve as a warning to anyone thinking about concealing drugs for importation.”