WIREDGOV

Nine members of an organised crime group responsible for trafficking millions of pounds worth of drugs into the UK have been jailed for a total of 154 years, following a joint investigation by the National Crime Agency and Kent Police.

Mobile phone evidence from lower level couriers was key to identifying the network’s organisers and securing their conviction.

When customs officials in Germany intercepted consignments of class A and B drugs destined for addresses in the UK in September 2013, NCA and Kent Police officers removed 17 kilos of cocaine, 12.5 kilos of heroin and 94.5 kilos of skunk cannabis and then followed the substitute consignment to an industrial unit in Swanley, Kent. Investigators arrested Stevie Joyce, 36, after he had taken delivery. The drugs haul had a potential likely street value of around £6.25 million.

A second consignment, purporting to be car parts but containing around 55 kilos of heroin, was detected in transit from Belgium in April 2014, this time addressed to a farm in Eton, Berkshire.

The drugs were again substituted and NCA officers put the farm under surveillance, watching as the packages were delivered. They arrested Nicholas Parker, 35, and Sonny Selves, 24, at the farm and Sanpreet Dhaliwal, 29, and Julian Bridgen, 51, a short distance away as they drove off separately.

A number of packages had been hidden in a special compartment behind the rear seat of the car Dhaliwal was driving. More packages were found in the back of a taxi Bridgen was travelling in, and a van at the farm.

Forensic tests on the heroin showed it would have had a potential likely street value of in excess of £6.5 million. Investigators found eight previous deliveries had been made to the same address.

Lee Selves, 29, was arrested in connection with the same seizure in a joint operation involving NCA and Kent Police officers in June 2014.

Detectives then used phone records to link the couriers to other members of the network, including those who organised the importations. The top tier of the group was identified as Stephen Hall, 53, and Royston Jones, 56, both of whom had fled the country. Hall was later arrested as he flew in to the UK from Lithuania and Jones was arrested as he landed at Heathrow having been deported from Thailand where he was now living.

Hall entered guilty pleas, as did Dhaliwal who was sentenced early in November 2014, but following a trial at Maidstone Crown Court seven men were found guilty of a variety of importation and supply offences.

The seven were sentenced alongside Hall at the same court on 18 June 2015.

NCA Branch Commander Oliver Higgins said:

“This organised crime group had international contacts and were involved in importing huge amounts of class A drugs worth many millions of pounds into the UK. Through our close work with Kent Police and other partners we have been able to systematically dismantle the network from bottom to top.

“We are determined to pursue and disrupt organised criminal networks and prevent them causing harm to our communities.”

Detective Superintendent Mark Hall from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said:

“The top tier of this organised crime group had gone to extensive lengths to hide their involvement and to distance themselves from this criminality through the use of false names, false companies and the use of a network of couriers to distribute the controlled drugs. As a result they made significant profits over a number of years without detection.

“The value of drugs imported by this group into Swanley and Eton alone are estimated to run to several million pounds and the investigation team has worked tirelessly to ensure that not only are the people responsible brought to justice but that the profits they have made from this criminality are identified and confiscated. This operation represents a significant disruption to the supply of drugs within our county and the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate and the National Crime Agency will continue to work together to target organised criminals and their assets to ensure that crime does not pay.”

Those convicted are as follows:

• Royston James (aka Royston Jones), 56, from Dudley Avenue in Westgate-on-Sea was found guilty of two counts of conspiring to import class A drugs, one count of conspiring to import class B drugs, and two counts of conspiring to supply class A drugs. Sentenced to 27 years in prison
• Stevie Joyce, 35, from New Barn Road in Swanley: found guilty of two counts of conspiring to import class A drugs and one count of conspiring to import class B drugs. Sentenced to 16 years in prison
• Thomas Atkins, 31, from Chave Road in Dartford was found guilty of two counts of conspiring to import class A drugs and one count of conspiring to import class B drugs. Sentenced to 17 years 6 months in prison
• Lee Selves, 29, from Wellcome Avenue in Dartford was found guilty of conspiring to import class A drugs. Sentenced to 20 years in prison
• Nicholas Parker, 35, of Wellcome Avenue, Dartford was found guilty of conspiring to import class A drugs. Sentenced to 18 years in prison
• Sonny Selves, 25, from Hillhouse Road, Stone, Dartford, was found guilty of conspiring to import class A drugs. Sentenced to 16 years 6 months in prison
• Julian Bridgen, 51, of Arkwright Road, Wellingborough, was found guilty of conspiring to supply class A drugs. Sentenced to 12 years in prison
• Stephen Hall, 53, from The Green, Romney Marsh, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiring to import class A drugs, two counts of conspiring to supply class A drugs, one count of conspiring to import class B drugs and one count of conspiring to supply class B drugs. Sentenced to 20 years in prison
• Sanpreet Dhaliwal, 30, of Woodland Avenue, Slough - pleaded guilty  to importing class A drugs and possessing class B drugs with intent to supply. He was sentenced to 7 years 4 months at an earlier hearing.

The jury failed to reach a verdict on Richard Middleton, 34, from Ruskin Grove, Dartford, while 52-year-old Stephen Large from Shipbourne Road in Tonbridge was found not guilty of money laundering offences.

Pictures of the men, the farm in Eton and some of the drugs seized during the operation can be found on the NCA's Flickr feed.