Gang jailed for importing tonnes of Class A drugs into UK
The drugs had a street value of more than £250m
Last updated 21st Mar 2024
A drugs gang have been jailed for helping to import more than two tonnes of Class A drugs, with a street value of more than £250m, into the UK.
Four men from Herefordshire, North Wales, Liverpool and Leatherhead have been given prison sentences totalling 55 years.
Chester Crown Court heard that between 3 May and 21 September 2023, Guy Remington from Herefordshire drove to France, Belgium and Holland via the Eurotunnel, using an empty trailer to hide his drugs.
He would return to his Hereford home 24 hours later.
Remington would then travel to Luke Hirst's home address, a farm in Deeside, North Wales, the day after returning from Europe, and remove the drugs from a concealment hidden behind the wooden panels of his trailer.
The drugs were then sorted into boxes and bags for onward supply.
Hirst would meet his customers at a nearby service station on Pinfold Lane and then take their cars to his property, where he would fill them with drugs before giving their vehicles back to them, all to conceal the whereabouts of his farm.
But it was after Remington’s ninth and final drug run to Europe that the OCG came crashing down.
Police intervened on 20 September 2023 as he was removing the drugs from his trailer at Hirst's farm, ending their multi-million pounds drugs empire.
He was arrested at the scene and taken into custody.
Following an extensive search of Hirst’s farm, NWROCU officers seized £183,865 in cash from Remington’s vehicle, 505kg of cocaine, and 108kg of heroin estimated to be worth between £15-21 million pounds wholesale.
Luke Hirst was arrested later that day in the back of a taxi in Mold, North Wales.
Searches of a number of Remington’s business premises on the same day led to the recovery of more than £700,000 in cash, numerous vehicles, as well as other high value assets.
On 18 October 2023, NWROCU officers arrested Thomas Smith at his home address in Liverpool.
Officers seized half a kilo of cocaine and 9807 MDMA tablets, with a street value of up to £167,000 and approximately £16,000 cash. They also recovered a notepad containing extensive records of his onward supply network.
On 26 October 2023, a search warrant was carried out at Station Road, Leatherhead which led to the arrest of Morgan Towner, who acted as a courier for an OCG based in the South of England.
Appearing before Chester Crown Court for sentencing today include:
- Guy Remington, 48, of Welsh Bicknor, Herefordshire who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import and supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin) was jailed for 7 years.
- Luke Hirst, 38, of Pinfold Lane, Flintshire who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin) was jailed for 12 years.
- Thomas Smith, 43, of Garrowby Drive, Liverpool pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin), possession with intent to supply a Class A controlled drug, and possession of Class B controlled drug (cannabis) and was jailed for 18 years.
- Morgan Towner, 47, of Station Road, Leatherhead pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine/ heroin) and was jailed for 7 years.
A NWROCU spokesperson from the Operations Team said:
"The offenders in this case were involved in a sophisticated criminal operation to import a significant amount of cocaine into the UK.
“Unfortunately for them, despite trying to evade law enforcement by using concealments in their trailer, we were watching their every move before moving in to arrest them.
"This is without doubt the biggest drugs seizure we have had at the NWROCU and our officers have worked tirelessly to ensure these offenders face the consequences of their crimes. We estimate this group imported between two and three tonnes of Class A drugs into the country over a four month period, with a street value of several hundred million pounds, I’ve no doubt that had we not have intervened, they would have continued to import more.”
"Here at the NWROCU we continue to work with our local forces and partners to ensure that no stone goes unturned in our pursuit of people who think they are above the law. I’d like to thank North Wales, Cheshire, and Merseyside Police for their support during this investigation."