AVISEUR INTERNATIONAL

Aviseur International renseigne, sans complaisance, sur la problématique de la drogue, du narcotrafic, de la corruption et sur les politiques mises en œuvre par les différents Etats et les dérives que s'autorisent les fonctionnaires des administrations — aviseurinternational@proton.me — 33 (0) 6 84 30 31 81

AVISEUR INTERNATIONAL

Archives pour la catégorie UK

ROYAUME UNI 🇬🇧 (Londres) : des traces de cocaïne dans les toilettes du parlement britannique

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Le président de la Chambre des communes, Lindsay Hoyle, a annoncé ce dimanche qu’il demanderait à la police d’enquêter suite à la découverte de traces de cocaïne trouvées dans diverses toilettes du Parlement britannique.

Hoyle a déclaré qu’il espère que la loi sera appliquée « complètement et efficacement », après que le journal « The Sunday Times » a révélé que onze des douze toilettes testées au Palais de Westminster ont été testées positives pour des traces de drogue. « Les informations sur l’usage de drogues illicites au Parlement (…) sont profondément préoccupantes et je les transmettrai d’urgence à la police métropolitaine cette semaine », a déclaré le président de la Chambre basse à la BBC.

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FRANCE 🇫🇷 (Pas-de-Calais) : 418 kg de cocaïne découverts au milieu de beignets d’oignons surgelés par des officiers de la ‘Border Force’

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À Coquelles, dans le Pas-de-Calais, la police aux frontières britanniques 🇬🇧 a découvert 418 kilos de cocaïne au milieu d’un chargement de beignets d’oignon surgelés.

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NCA 🇬🇧 (Operation Venetic) : Drug smuggler convicted over 20 kilo cocaine seizure

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A Manchester man who used the encrypted phone network EncroChat to import cocaine worth £1.6m has today pleaded guilty.

Ibraheem Abdullah, 38, was arrested by National Crime Agency officers on 17 April 2020 when the 20 kilos of high purity cocaine – hidden in boxes of mobile phone accessories – was seized at a joiners yard in the Middleton area.

Ibraheem ABDULLAH

Abdullah (also known as Dwaine George) attempted to escape when he saw NCA and Greater Manchester Police officers, who had just entered the yard in Wade Street.

He tried to destroy two mobile phones during the subsequent chase on foot – by throwing one against a wall and dropping another into the nearby Wince Brook – but was arrested minutes later.

Electronic scales and a quantity of small plastic bags were recovered during a subsequent search of his home address in Mariman Drive, Manchester.

The NCA investigation found that the device Abdullah had thrown against the wall was crucial, as it was the EncroChat phone he used to arrange the shipment under his Encro handle ‘Tenderpasta’

The drugs had been posted from the Netherlands and tests showed that they had a purity of between 70 and 73 per cent. They would have had an estimated street value of £1.6 million once cut. On 7 April 2020, ‘Tenderpasta’ exchanged messages with the EncroChat handle ‘Maxbro’, and identified the joiner’s yard as the best drop off location. He also sent a photo of the location.

Analysis of billing for numbers used by Abdullah show that around the time of these messages, his phones were using cell masts near the joiners yard.

Other Encrochat messages with a contact using the handle ‘Flyinghourse’ showed that Abdullah was trying to arrange an onward buyer for the cocaine, with the two individuals agreeing a sale price of £37,500 per kilo.

Abdullah appeared at Manchester City Crown Court on Tuesday, 9 November where he admitted a charge of conspiracy to import Class A drugs. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on 17 December.

NCA Operations Manager Helen Murphy said: “Like many other users of EncroChat, Abdullah will have mistakenly thought that he could traffic drugs with impunity. 

“The NCA works with partners across the UK to ensure there are no safe spaces for serious and organised criminals, including those who seek to profit from a class A drugs trade which fuels violence and exploitation in our communities.”

09 November 2021 

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COLOMBIE 🇨🇴 : le ‘Clan del Golfo’ est lié à cinq mafias dans le monde

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Le Clan del Golfo, sous l’autorité d’Otoniel, avait la capacité de trafiquer chaque mois près de 20 tonnes de cocaïne

Le réseau du narcotrafiquant «Otoniel», arrêté le 23 octobre, entretient des connexions avec les cartels de Sinaloa et Jalisco, les mafias calabraise et sicilienne, ainsi que celles des Balkans.

«Nous avons des preuves que cette organisation criminelle a cinq alliances principales pour mener à bien ses exportations de cocaïne sous différentes latitudes», a expliqué le général Jorge Luis Vargas, au cours d’une conférence de presse au siège de la police à Bogota.

Au Mexique, le Clan del Golfo est lié aux cartels de Sinaloa et de Jalisco nouvelle génération. En Europe, il commerce «avec les mafias calabraise et sicilienne, de même qu’avec les réseaux de narcotrafiquants des Balkans, ces derniers se chargeant de fournir les pays d’Asie et plus particulièrement du Moyen Orient», selon le général Vargas.

Dairo Antonio Usuga, alias «Otoniel», a été arrêté le 23 octobre dans le nord-ouest de la Colombie, lors d’une vaste opération militaire.

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ROYAUME-UNI 🇬🇧 : plus de deux tonnes de cocaïne saisies au large de l’Angleterre

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L’agence britannique de lutte contre le crime a annoncé ce samedi avoir saisi plus de deux tonnes de cocaïne dans un yacht intercepté au large de la côte sud de l’Angleterre. 

Six hommes âgés de 24 à 49 ans – un Britannique et cinq Nicaraguayens – ont été arrêtés lors de cette opération, menée jeudi avec le soutien de la police fédérale australienne et de la police britannique des frontières, a précisé la NCA dans un communiqué.

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NARCO-LOGISTIQUE: les grandes routes du haschisch marocain vers ses fumeurs en Europe

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Si le haschisch est cultivé au Maroc, son parcours pour arriver vers les consommateurs en Europe traverse plusieurs pays que ce soit par voie terrestre ou maritime.

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UK 🇬🇧 (NCA) : la dernière ‘Narconews’ au 22 août 2021

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Op Venetic: Drug dealer busted by birthday blunder

A drug supplier who used encrypted messaging service Encrochat to sell cocaine has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, following an investigation by the joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Partnership (OCP).

Under Operation Venetic – the UK law enforcement response to the takedown of the EncroChat platform – the OCP began investigating an Encrochat user named ‘Sleekyak’ who was using the service to sell cocaine.

Sleekyak boasted that they were able to facilitate the sale of 10 to 20kg of the drug per week, and also discussed the laundering of £37,000.

In total, officers uncovered 1,071 messages exchanged over a two month period between Sleekyak and 22 other users known to be involved in the class A drugs supply network. Twelve of the seventeen images they had exchanged were of what appeared to be kilo blocks of cocaine.

The OCP were able to attribute the encrypted device to Lee Broughton, 40 from Epsom. Encrochat messages from Broughton further corroborated that he was the user of the device in messages he sent to others stating it had been his birthday the previous day, which matched up with Broughton’s birthdate of 10 April.

NCA and Met officers arrested Broughton for Conspiracy to Supply Class A Drugs and money laundering on 31 March 2021 at his girlfriend’s house in Epsom, Surrey.

Broughton had 14 previous convictions for offences committed between 1997 and 2013. These included receiving two consecutive twelve month sentences in 2003 for cocaine and MDMA supply, and 42 months in 2013 for conspiracy to supply cocaine.

When interviewed, Broughton said that the deals that he was involved in were much smaller than he had suggested and that he’d mentioned large quantities to give a false impression of importance and get a better deal.

On 30 April 2021 Broughton pleaded guilty at Kingston Crown Court for the supply of cocaine, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on 19th August.

DCI Mark Brookes, Head of the OCP said “Disrupting organised criminals and their wider networks is a crucial part of preventing Class A drugs from reaching streets in the UK.

“Broughton is a career drug supplier who for decades has sought to profit from a trade that fuels violence, misery and destroys the fabric of society. 

“He attempted to use encrypted technology to evade detection, but we in UK law enforcement are determined to prevent criminals from operating with impunity.

“This investigation is yet another example of the NCA and Metropolitan Police Service working together to protect the UK public.”

20 August 2021

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UNITED KINGDOM 🇬🇧 (NCA) : lorry driver jailed after trying to smuggle ketamine in his mattress

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Lorry driver jailed after trying to smuggle ketamine in his mattress

A lorry driver who attempted to smuggle ketamine and mephedrone worth £2 million into the UK by hiding it in his mattress has been jailed.

Giovannetti in front of a blank wall and facing the camera.The National Crime Agency investigated Alessio Giovannetti (36), from Italy, after his HGV was stopped at Dover on 29 May 2021.

His truck, carrying lettuce, was searched by Border Force officers and packages containing 70 kilos of ketamine and 20 kilos of mephedrone were found in voids hidden around the cab.

Further amounts were discovered in Giovannetti’s mattress, with NCA forensic experts estimating the drugs to have been worth £2 million at street level.

NCA officers questioned Giovannetti who stated that the packages smelt bad so he had placed them around his cab to stop the smell.

He said he believed the packages contained horse medication which he did not think was illegal.

Giovannetti was charged with two counts of attempting to import class B drugs.

He pleaded guilty at Canterbury Crown Court on 19 August and was sentenced to five years and seven months imprisonment.

NCA senior investigating officer Daren Nicholls said:

“Alessio Giovannetti went to great efforts to hide these drugs around his cab, claiming it was their bad smell that caused him to conceal his illegal haul.

“Drug runners like Giovannetti should not doubt that we are determined to catch them and bring them to justice.

“These drugs would have caused serious harm if they had reached the streets of the UK and we will continue to work with our Border Force partners to ensure criminal activity like Giovannetti’s is disrupted.”

20 August 2021

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ROYAUME UNI 🇬🇧 (NCA) : le chocolat belge était accompagné de cocaïne et d’héroïne

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63 kilos d’héroïne et 32 kilos de cocaïne dans un camion chargé de chocolats belges.

Le camion, immatriculé en Pologne, devait amener le chocolat belge à Maidstone, dans le Kent. Il a été arrêté le 12 août au tunnel sous la Manche par les agents douaniers britanniques.

Le conducteur, un Irlandais âgé de 64 ans, a été inculpé pour tentative d’importation de drogue.

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Irish lorry driver charged over heroin and cocaine hidden in chocolates

A lorry driver has been charged following the seizure of cocaine and heroin worth £5.7 million.

drugs packagesIrish national 64-year-old Robert Wilkin, now living near Tilbury in Essex, was questioned by officers from the National Crime Agency after his lorry was stopped at the Coquelles Channel Tunnel terminal on 12 August.

Wilkin’s Polish-registered truck was carrying a load of Belgian chocolates, which documents showed he was due to deliver to a location in Maidstone, Kent.

But hidden in two pallets of the chocolates Border Force officers discovered tape wrapped packages.

In total 63 kilos of heroin and 32 kilos of cocaine were seized, which once cut and adulterated would have been worth more than £5.7 million at street level.

NCA officers later charged Wilkin with attempting to import class A drugs.

He appeared before Folkestone magistrates on 14 August where he was bailed to appear before Canterbury Crown Court on 13 September.

NCA Branch Commander Martin Grace said:

“This was a significant seizure of class A drugs of the type we see being distributed by violent and exploitative street gangs and county lines networks.

“Working with our law enforcement partners like Border Force we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the organised crime groups involved in bringing these drugs to the UK.”

18 August 2021

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AVISEUR INTERNATIONAL : les toutes dernières « NARCONEWS » via Twitter

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UK 🇬🇧 (NCA) : les dernières ‘Narconews’ au 16 août 2021

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Mug shot of Yai Kain Cheung

Glasgow stun gun smuggler jailed

A Glasgow man has been jailed for five years for smuggling a potentially deadly stun gun into the UK, following a National Crime Agency and Police Scotland investigation.

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John Neilson custody image

Cocaine hidden in dog food leads to jail for West Lothian man

A lorry driver from West Lothian has been handed a seven-and-a-half-year jail sentence following the seizure of cocaine worth almost £900,000 in Bathgate.

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drug dealing crime group custody images

Drug dealing crime group planned to torture and rob 82-year-old Manchester businessman at his family home

Six men have been convicted after a National Crime Agency investigation uncovered their role in the supply of cocaine and a separate plot to torture and rob a Manchester man’s home and business.

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Custody image of Miodrag Ivankovic

11 years behind bars for trucker who smuggled more than £7m of cocaine

A truck driver who tried to smuggle almost 100kg of cocaine into the UK has been jailed for 11 years as part of a National Crime Agency investigation.

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NCA stock image of officers in branded jackets

Northern Ireland man arrested as part of NCA investigation

A 31-year old man suspected of importing class A drugs through his links to a Northern Ireland haulage firm has been arrested.

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Sean Hart custody image

Man tried to smuggle drugs into the UK after Netherlands Christmas shopping trip with wife

A man has been found guilty of attempting to smuggle cocaine with an estimated street value of £160k into the UK after a “Christmas shopping” trip with his wife in the Netherlands.

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Cash laid out on the floor

Multi-million cash courier who thought she would be living a “perfect life” sentenced to 34 months in jail

A money launderer who was caught trying to smuggle almost £2 million out of the UK in her suitcases has been jailed for almost three years.

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NCA Logo

NCA warns furloughed port and airport workers could be exploited by organised criminal groups

The National Crime Agency has issued an alert to furloughed port and airport workers warning they may be vulnerable to organised crime groups seeking to exploit the Covid crisis.

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Drugs in packages on floor

Venetic: Kent woman headed up family-run multi-million cocaine dealership

A woman from Kent who headed up a crime group that supplied over half a tonne of cocaine and laundered millions of pounds in illicit cash has been jailed for 15 years.

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National Crime Agency logo appearing on the front of a black car.

Seven British fugitives arrested in Spain in just three weeks

Seven British fugitives have been arrested in Spain in the space of just three weeks as a result of joint operations between the National Crime Agency and the Spanish National Police.

MAROC 🇲🇦 (Rabat) : depuis près d’un mois, grand bal des tartuffes au Parlement marocain

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« Pour des raisons thérapeutiques », disent-ils… Depuis près d’un mois, le sujet du cannabis est au centre des débats au Parlement marocain. Non pour renforcer les contrôles et torpiller le trafic de cannabis, mais pour légiférer sur sa légalisation. Voilà qui va donner des « hallucinations » au voisin européen …

217 tonnes. C’est la quantité de cannabis et d’herbe, saisie par les services de la sûreté nationale et la surveillance du territoire national pendant le confinement sanitaire. 600 kg en octobre de l’année 2019, découverts, cette fois, par les gendarmeries de Narbonne et de Clermont-Ferrand. Trois mois plus tôt, 27,3 tonnes soigneusement dissimulées dans des véhicules de transport international, au port de Tanger-Med. En 2018, la Direction générale de la Sûreté nationale (DGSN) avait mis la main sur 52 tonnes de résine de cannabis. En 2017 : 700 tonnes, selon un rapport d’Etat américain sur le trafic de drogue.

Mais ce dernier rapport ne s’est pas contenté de jouer les comptables : il pointe les intérêts du Royaume dans ce trafic, insistant notamment sur les gains qu’il en a tirés en 2017 : le magot correspondrait “à 23 % du PIB marocain, soit plus de 100 milliards de dollars”. Une mine d’or pour le Maroc, mais un camouflet pour l’Europe: “principale destination de ce trafic, qui transite par l’Espagne, avant d’irriguer le Vieux Continent”, précise le rapport.

Il n’y a pas de fumée sans feu

Fait curieux : les autorités marocaines laissent faire les trafiquants, tout en s’empressant à pondre des communiqués victorieux sur la baisse de cette criminalité. Pourtant, il suffit d’un détour par le nord du pays pour le constater : les champs de cannabis s’étalent sur plusieurs hectares. Sans qu’il y ait un raclement de gorge de la part des autorités. Mais chut… Le dernier qui a joué à l’enfant d’Andersen – cet enfant qui criait : “le roi est nu” -, c’est l’Office des Nation-Unies contre la drogue et le crime (ONUDC) : depuis quatorze ans, il est interdit de réaliser des enquêtes de terrain.

Car rien ne doit venir souiller “le habits neufs de l’empereur”. Au Maroc, le cannabis n’obéit pas seulement à des intérêts économiques : il est cultivé principalement dans la région frondeuse du RIF. Là-bas, c’est le trafic qui permet de nourrir de nombreux habitants. Plus de 800.000 personnes, selon ce dernier rapport des Nations Unis. La moindre intervention des gendarmes contre les trafiquants attire des milliers de manifestants dans les rues. Depuis des décennies, le Royaume s’est retrouvé devant un choix cornélien : soit les priver de cette manne et prendre le risque de raviver les tensions, soit fermer les yeux et devenir lui-même complice. Tout compte fait, il a préféré verser dans le double jeu : l’interdire sur papier, pour faire bonne figure et le tolérer dans les faits, pour “acheter” la paix sociale. Question de stabilité du trône.

C’est sûrement pour rompre avec cette tactique que le royaume alaouite a décidé de tourner la page de l’illégalité du cannabis. Sous couvert de la dernière décision des Nations Unis de retirer cette drogue de sa liste de stupéfiants, députés et ministres marocains déboulent dans les machettes, pour puiser leur science dans la littérature médicale et préparer l’opinion : le gouvernement a conscience des vertus « thérapeutiques » du cannabis … “iI faudrait au Maroc un cadre légal et réglementaire sur ce sujet, car la répression seule a montré son inefficacité. Elle est injuste dans notre contexte“… “Il serait plus rentable, en termes de santé publique, d’être plus efficace dans la lutte contre le tabagisme…”, “Aujourd’hui, nous gagnerons tous si ce débat se faisait sereinement, loin de toutes polémiques politiciennes stériles”. Effectivement, tout le monde trouvera à y gagner : le Royaume peut compter sur les trafiquants pour renflouer ses caisses ( il pourrait gagner 1 milliard par an ) et les trafiquants peuvent compter sur le Royaume pour devenir … « officiels ». C’est royal !

Les régions concernées sont connues de tous les “aficionados” de « la marocaine » : Chefchaouen, Taounate ou Al Hoceima. Là-bas, il existe différentes qualités de poudres, appelées Chira. La plus communément produite est Sandouk, cueillie dans son état brut, puis transformée en poudre par les exploitants marocains ou des opérateurs étrangers.

Dans les rues pittoresques de Chefchaouen, grand fumoir à ciel ouvert, la beuh passe de mains en mains.

Les trafiquants courent les rues étroites. Souvent la barbe et à la casquette des policiers nonchalants. La dernière tendance ? Jouer les guides touristiques à travers les champs et les ateliers de transformation de la drogue. Pour vendre leur “science” à ces touristes qui ont les euro, mais pas le savoir-faire : comment la drogue est cultivée, comment elle est transformée, comment – surtout – repartir avec un « petit lot » et passer sous les radars des douanes : “si vous voulez acheter une grande quantité, je vous montrerais comment faire passer la marchandise en Europe, sans le moindre problème”.

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UK 🇬🇧 (Canterbury Crown Court) : a truck driver who tried to smuggle almost 100kg of cocaine into the UK has been jailed for 11 years as part of a National Crime Agency investigation

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Miodrag Ivankovic, 45, was stopped by Border Force officers on 6 September at the freight controls in Dover after arriving from Calais.Miodrag IVANKOVIC

Officers searched his truck and cut into a suspicious pallet of boxes and white powder spilled out.

Inside the truck was a total of 94kg of cocaine.

Ivankovic’s DNA was on the boxes containing the drugs and he admitted trying to smuggle the Class A.

Ivankovic, from Banja Luka, in north Bosnia, was jailed at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday (29 July).

NCA Branch Commander Martin Grace said: “We and our Border Force partners have taken a significant consignment of cocaine out of the supply chain.

“The organised crime group behind the plot have lost profits they would have ploughed back into more offending and they have lost a trusted smuggler.

“Drugs bring misery to UK communities and the NCA will continue to do everything it can to combat the threat.”

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FRANCE 🇫🇷 (SURV de la Douane – BSI Calais littoral — Coquelles -Terminal transmanche) : un Ukrainien arrêté lundi par les gabelous avec 36 kg de cocaïne

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Les douaniers ont fait le ‘job’, pour la NCA de sa gracieuse majesté

Serhii Stoainov, chauffeur routier ukrainien, âgé de 49 ans, a été arrêté lundi soir sur le terminal français du Tunnel sous la Manche, par les douaniers, avec 36 kg de cocaïne dissimulés dans sa couchette. 

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ESPAÑA 🇪🇸 (Puerto de Santander) : Funcionarios de Vigilancia Aduanera de la Agencia Tributaria en Cantabria y País Vasco han aprehendido 283 kilos de marihuana en un camión con destino a Inglaterra

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El pasado miércoles 21, los investigadores de aduanas (SVA) sospecharon de un camión de mudanzas que iba a embarcar en el ferry que une Santander con Reino Unido.

La incautación se ha producido tras una investigación iniciada en el recinto aduanero del Puerto de Santander, que se ha saldado con la detención de los dos varones ingleses que transportaban la droga.

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UK 🇬🇧 (NCA) :les dernières ‘Narconews’ au 25 juillet 2021

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The NCA logo appearing on a sign————————————-

Drugs in packages on floorVenetic: Kent woman headed up family-run multi-million cocaine dealership

A woman from Kent who headed up a crime group that supplied over half a tonne of cocaine and laundered millions of pounds in illicit cash has been jailed for 15 years.

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speedboatEight arrested in Greece as Project Invigor targets major international people smuggling network

Officers from Project Invigor, the National Crime Agency-led taskforce targeting organised immigration crime, have taken part in an operation which has seen eight members of a major people smuggling network arrested in Greece.

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National Crime Agency logo appearing on the front of a black car.Seven British fugitives arrested in Spain in just three weeks

Seven British fugitives have been arrested in Spain in the space of just three weeks as a result of joint operations between the National Crime Agency and the Spanish National Police.

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NCA recovers £2m from London-based property developer and landlord

London based property developer Richard Leahy has agreed to hand over assets worth almost £2 million to settle a civil recovery claim based on alleged involvement in cannabis cultivation, money laundering and fraud.

 

FRANCE 🇫🇷 (Coquelles – Terminal du tunnel sous la Manche) : un Serbe, chauffeur de camion, inculpé en Angleterre suite à la découverte de 40 kilos de cocaïne dans sa remorque

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Vladimir Mrdak, 37 ans, qui vit en Serbie, a été arrêté lundi 12 juillet après la découverte de drogues de classe A dans la remorque d’un poids lourd transportant des bouchons de bouteilles et des rouleaux de papier.

La NCA a ouvert une enquête après que des agents des forces frontalières au terminal du tunnel sous la Manche à Coquelles, en France, aient trouvé la cocaïne dans des paquets scotchés placés dans des boîtes au-dessus des marchandises.

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UK 🇬🇧 (NCA) : Lorry driver charged following 40 kilo cocaine haul

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A Serbian lorry driver has been charged with drug smuggling offences by National Crime Agency officers after cocaine worth £3.2 million was found in a lorry heading to the UK.

Image showing seized cocaine.Vladimir Mrdak, 37, who lives in Serbia, was arrested on Monday (12 July) after the class A drugs were found in the trailer of an HGV carrying a load of bottle tops and paper rolls.

The NCA began an investigation after Border Force officers at the Channel Tunnel terminal in Coquelles, France, found the cocaine in taped packages placed in boxes on top of the goods.

After being questioned, Mrdak was charged with attempting to import cocaine, and following an appearance at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court yesterday (13 July) he was remanded in custody until his next appearance at Canterbury Crown Court on 16 August.

NCA branch commander Martin Grace said:

“This haul of cocaine would have fuelled violence and intimidation had it reached the UK.

“The seizure is a big setback for the criminal network likely to be behind this attempted importation – profits which they will not be able to invest in other criminality.

“Working alongside our law enforcement partners like Border Force, we are determined to disrupt the organised crime groups involved in drug supply and protect the public.”

14 July 2021

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UK NCA 🇬🇧 (Drug trafficking) : Three jailed for running ‘industrial’ million pound cannabis farm in Coventry nightclub

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Three men were arrested, Albanian nationals Andi Cani (aged 24) and Adrian Lleshaj (29) and Vietnamese national Cao Van Vu (31).

Three men have been jailed for running a huge three-floor cannabis farm in an abandoned nightclub in Coventry.

National Crime Agency officers, supported by colleagues from West Midlands Police, raided the property on Trinity Street on 15 October 2020.

They had to smash through several reinforced doors to access the interior, which they found contained around 1500 cannabis plants spread across the building’s three floors. NCA experts value the haul at over £1 million.

As well as the plants officers recovered sophisticated planting, growing and irrigation equipment, valued at around £150,000.

The electricity supply at the property had been bypassed, with the equipment inside directly and illegally connected to the commercial supply from the street outside.

Three men were arrested, Albanian nationals Andi Cani (aged 24) and Adrian Lleshaj (29) and Vietnamese national Cao Van Vu (31).

Cani and Lleshaj attempted to hide on the roof of the building as officers entered, but were captured with the assistance of West Midlands Police drone unit, who were working with the NCA.

In interviews with NCA investigators, all three men admitted having paid people smugglers to assist them in entering the UK illegally.

The trio pleaded guilty to producing a controlled drug and today (29 June) a judge at Warwick Crown Court sentenced Vu to 40 months in prison, Lleshaj to 35 months, and Cani to 28 months.

All three will face deportation after serving their jail terms

NCA Branch Commander Mick Pope said: “These men were involved in producing cannabis on an industrial scale. It is certainly the largest and most sophisticated cannabis factory ever found by the NCA. “They were responsible for maintaining and storing drugs and equipment worth over a million pounds, which shows the wider criminal network behind this operation clearly trusted them. “The takedown of this facility will have had a huge impact on the wider organised crime group, depriving them of potentially millions of pounds in profit, which would have been used to fund further criminality and exploitation.

“Our investigation continues.”

June 29 2021

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UK 🇬🇧 (NCA) : three arrests in London in connection with half-tonne Australian cocaine haul shipped from Heathrow

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Three people have been arrested by the National Crime Agency as part of a major international investigation into the exportation of cocaine from the UK to Australia.

A woman aged 56 and a man aged 32 were detained by NCA officers at an address in Hanwell, west London on Monday 21 June. Meanwhile at the same time a 31-year-old woman was arrested at a location in Hounslow.

All three were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to export class A drugs, fraud and breaches of the Aviation Security Act.

At the address in Hanwell gold bullion thought to be worth in excess of £250,000 was also seized, along with keys to a safety deposit box containing £60,000 in cash.

The trio were questioned and released under investigation the next day.

The arrests followed a seizure of around 500 kilos of cocaine at Sydney Airport on 15 May.

Australian Border Force officers found the drugs concealed in a consignment described as ‘lift and tailgate parts’ which had been shipped from Heathrow using a UK freight agent.

They estimate the drugs would have had a potential street value of around £84 million.

New South Wales Police Force Organised Crime Squad detectives subsequently arrested three people in connection with their investigation into the importation on 18 May.

NCA investigators have been able to identify a number of other similar shipments made from the UK to Australia using a similar method. These are now under investigation.

NCA Branch Commander Andy Noyes said: “Our investigation is looking at a sophisticated network of criminals able to smuggle large quantities of class A drugs across the globe via air freight.

“Some of those involved appeared to have insider knowledge of freight systems which they exploited. Protecting the safety and security of the UK is a priority for us.

“Working through our overseas network with our partners in Australia and at home in the UK we are determined to do all we can to track down those involved, and our investigation will continue.”

Mark Bishop, Head of Asia Pacific region for NCA International, added: “I’m grateful for the continued cooperation and support of Australian Border Force and the New South Wales Police Force on this investigation.

“This partnership is vital to tackle international serious and organised crime affecting both our countries.”

24 June 2021 

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