A Warwickshire man has been jailed after 192 kilos of cocaine were found in a consignment of frozen chickens.
Officers from our Regional Organised Crime Unit made the find at a frozen food wholesaler in a business park in north London on 13 March, as they followed up enquiries on a previous consignment of drugs recovered in November last year.
The manager told them a consignment from the same supplier had arrived that morning and a search of the pallet revealed more cocaine packed in boxes underneath the frozen chicken.
The drugs were seized but the pallet was repackaged with books and left at the warehouse.
The next day Edward Durnion arrived in a van, collected the pallet and drove it to a storage unit in Biggleswade, where he discovered the drugs were missing.
He was arrested by officers working with Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime North Team, who were tracking his movements and later charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
The 36-year-old from Crackley Lane, Kenilworth, admitted the offence at Stafford Crown Court and was sentenced today (19 Dec) to nine years in prison.
Detective Inspector Dave Simpson said: “192 kilos of cocaine has an estimated wholesale value of £5.5m and a potential street value of £18m, so this was a significant seizure which will have caused considerable disruption to that particular chain of supply.
“This is part of our ongoing work to tackle organised criminal activity including drugs networks across the West Midlands and beyond.
“We’re focused on those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime across our region. It sends out a clear warning to others intent on supplying Class A drugs – we simply won’t tolerate it.”
#Operation Target sees us taking a defiant stand against a range of serious and organised crime offences – from drug dealing and burglary to cyber crime and fraud.
Officers will be using local intelligence, seizing goods, carrying out warrants and targeting offenders as part of Op Target’s ongoing crackdown against serious and organised crime.