Displaying items by tag: drug crime

Jamie Stevenson, one of the UK's most wanted men, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for masterminding a plot to smuggle nearly a tonne of cocaine from Ecuador to Scotland, hidden in a banana shipment. Known as 'Iceman,' Stevenson pleaded guilty to directing the drug operation, which was intercepted by Border Force at Dover in 2020. The cocaine, valued between £76 million and £100 million, was addressed to a Glasgow fruit merchant. Stevenson was also involved in producing and supplying the drug etizolam. His arrest was part of Operation Pepperoni, which targeted criminal activities on the encrypted communication platform EncroChat. Stevenson fled the UK but was arrested in the Netherlands in 2022 and extradited. Authorities praised the investigation that brought him to justice, emphasising the harmful impact of his criminal activities on communities. His conviction highlights the ongoing battle against organised crime in the UK: others involved in the crime were also sentenced.

Sajid Ali, 56, from Hall Green, Birmingham, has been convicted of leading a criminal gang in a £11 million drug smuggling operation. With four accomplices, he orchestrated a plan to import Class A drugs concealed in a shipment of bananas from Ecuador. The cocaine was hidden inside the roof of a shipping container, which was to be moved from London to an industrial estate in Coventry for extraction and distribution. The National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested the men in April 2022, and seized a total of 139 kilograms of cocaine, valued at up to £11,120,000. Ali was considered too senior to handle the drugs directly and fled to Türkiye when he couldn't reach his associates. He was later arrested at Heathrow Airport when attempting to return to the UK. He denied involvement, but evidence, including burner phone communications, proved otherwise. A successful collaboration between the CPS and the NCA brought him to justice. Proceedings to confiscate the gang's illegal profits have now commenced.