Four men were sentenced to a combined 70 years in prison for their roles in a large-scale drug smuggling operation in the United Kingdom, following a Metropolitan Police investigation into plots involving hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and ketamine.
Three of the convicted men planned to import 600 kilograms of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding £20 million. The drug was to be smuggled into Britain hidden within frozen fish shipments from South America, routed through a legitimate fish business in London's Billingsgate Market operated by one gang member. The plot never came to fruition.
Detectives dismantled the operation by decrypting conversations on EncroChat, an encrypted messaging platform widely used by organized crime groups before law enforcement infiltrated and shut it down in 2020. Intelligence from the disruption was shared with police through the National Crime Agency.
Samuel Tokeley, 57, received 22 years. Nicholas Shilling, 63, of Dubai, also received 22 years. Scott Richards, 51, was jailed for 14 and a half years, and Scott Unwin, 52, received 13 years.
Tokeley was identified as the gang leader, responsible for coordinating the wholesale supply and importation of drugs into Britain. Messages recovered from EncroChat showed the group discussing the movement of cocaine and ketamine, large cash transfers, and plans to use cryptocurrency and legitimate businesses to facilitate money laundering.
Detective Chief Inspector Dean Grafton said the operation exposed a crime group "operating on an industrial scale" that attempted to conceal its activities in public spaces. He said the group had "links stretching from South America and mainland Europe to the streets of the UK," and that the defendants believed encrypted platforms would shield them.
