A GANG spearheaded by a Dorset man built up a ‘advanced plan to import a huge quantity of cannabis’ into the UK – before being discovered by National Crime Agency.
He planned to sell each kilo for between £3,000 to £3,500 – yielding at least £3 million in income.
Bristol Crown Court heard how Kelly, Gavin Challis, 46, from Essex and Daniel Parrot and Jason Tongue, both aged 47 and from Nottinghamshire, conspired to collect the packages of Class B drugs from a moored yacht, land at the Cornish Coast to then be distributed across the country.
In order to discuss the drug trafficking plot, the four individuals used encrypted communication network EncroChat and used code names to disguise their identities.
Under the alias ‘Organic Shoe’, Kelly was to arrange a boat and crew to access the moored yacht and bring the drugs package back onto the UK coast using a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).
Kelly asked Challis, also known as ‘Mushroom Waffle’ to purchase and supply the drugs and instructed Parrott, under the handle of ‘Bluff Pizza’ to buy fuel drums to for a boat.
The planned operation was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Officers on National Crime Agency’s Operation Venetic – the UK law enforcement response to the takedown of EncroChat – intercepted and investigated their messages.
Their investigation found that the group had discussed the quantity of drugs to be transported, as well as images of the RHIB and landing areas for the cannabis.
The men were all arrested and officers seized multiple mobile phones from their properties.
Kelly, Tongue and Parrot all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to traffic Class B drugs into the county. Challis also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Kelly was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison. The other members of the group were handed shorter sentences, as Parrot was jailed for three-and-a-half years, Challis was sentenced to three years and Tongue will be behind bars for 18 months.
Following the sentencing, Ty Surgeon, operations manager at the NCA, noted how their interception of messages on EncroChat ‘prevented this plot coming to fruition’.
He said: “It’s clear that these men had every intention of importing the drugs into the UK for distribution, where they could well have fuelled exploitation and violence.
“Despite their attempts to conceal their plans by using EncroChat devices, our investigation prevented this plot from coming to fruition.
“Disrupting organised crime groups, from source countries to the streets of the UK, remains one of our top priorities.”
James Le Grys, crown advocate for CPS South West, said: “Disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups remains a priority for the CPS.
“These defendants had an advanced plan to import a huge quantity of cannabis into the UK.
“Their plan was interrupted by the pandemic, but with support from the NCA and international partners, we were able to build a strong case using specialised tactics to expose their criminality.”
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