Four Jailed for Over 70 Years in £20 Million Cocaine Smuggling Plot

The Metropolitan Police have jailed four men for a combined total of over 70 years for their roles in a large-scale drug smuggling operation. The group attempted to import hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and ketamine into the UK, with their most audacious plan involving hiding 600kg of cocaine within shipments of frozen fish originating from South America. The estimated value of this planned shipment was over £20 million.

Intelligence gathered from the encrypted communication platform EncroChat, which was widely used by criminal organizations before being compromised and shut down in 2020, was crucial to the investigation. Detectives uncovered detailed messages between gang members discussing payments, logistics, sourcing of cocaine from Ecuador, and plans to utilize legitimate businesses for their illicit activities. However, the specific plot involving frozen fish never came to fruition.

Samuel Tokeley, 57, was identified as the gang leader and received a 22-year sentence for conspiracy to import Class A drugs. He coordinated the wholesale supply and importation of drugs into Britain from his residence in Alicante, Spain. Scott Richards, 51, and Scott Unwin, 52, were convicted by a jury for conspiracy to import Class A drugs, receiving sentences of 14 and a half years and 13 years, respectively. Nicholas Shilling, 63, who is based in Dubai, also received a 22-year sentence.

Tokeley pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court. Richards, Unwin, and Shilling were convicted after a trial that concluded in May. The investigation, a collaboration between the Met Police, the National Crime Agency (NCA), and international law enforcement partners, exposed an organized crime group operating on an industrial scale.

Tokeley was arrested in Spain in the summer of 2023 under extradition warrants. Shilling was arrested in Ibiza under similar powers. Dramatic video footage captured the arrests of Richards and Unwin at addresses in Colchester and Dagenham, where police recovered cash and mobile phones linked to drug dealing.

Detective Chief Inspector Dean Grafton stated that the defendants believed encrypted communications would shield their activities, which included discussing vast quantities of drugs, laundering criminal profits, and exploiting legitimate businesses. He emphasized that the meticulous analysis of EncroChat data and close collaboration with partners were key to gathering overwhelming evidence and ensuring convictions. The sentences, he added, reflect the scale and sophistication of the criminality and the police's determination to pursue organized crime groups.