Five convicted after £184m cocaine haul found in banana pallets

Five members of an organised crime group that smuggled 2.3 tonnes of cocaine in a shipment of bananas from south America into Portsmouth have been convicted.

Petko Zhutev, 39, from Bulgaria, Gjergji Diko, 33, from Italy, and Albanian nationals Bruno Kuci, 33, Olsi Ebeja, 40, and Erik Muci, 44, were investigated by the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) – a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service unit – who identified they were planning the importation.

They were arrested by OCP officers, supported by an armed MPS unit, at an industrial estate in Tottenham, north London, in February 2021, after receiving 41 pallets of bananas into which the cocaine had been loaded.

The drugs had different branded stamps on them, which corresponded to particular organised crime groups that were going to sell them on the streets of London and the wider UK.

Border Force officers at Portsmouth International Port had found the cocaine after the OCP provided intelligence they would be arriving on a cargo ship from Turbo, Colombia, concealed within a legitimate consignment of bananas.

OCP officers removed the cocaine and followed the consignment of bananas until it reached its final destination - Agro Food Ltd at the Crispin Industrial Estate.

The seizure is believed to be one of the largest ever of its type in the UK.

Investigators identified that Zhutev had taken over as the director of the food company in December 2020. Although it was previously a legitimate business, he had acquired it solely to use as a front for criminality.

Muci was one of the principal organisers for the drugs importation. He was observed meeting with Zhutev, Kuci and Diko at Agro Foods and arranged the delivery and installation of equipment to support the pretence that it was a legitimate enterprise.

Investigation into the mobile devices used by the crime group showed Muci controlled the importation and ongoing supply of significant quantities of cocaine across the UK.

After Zhutev, Kuci and Diko accepted the consignment, armed officers used a circular saw to enter the locked premises during a raid that resulted in their arrest.

Empty banana boxes had been strewn over the floor of the unit, a result of desperate attempts to find the drugs and move them from the site.

The men had constructed dozens of cardboard boxes which they had intended to use to pack with cash generated by drug sales. Officers also found nine empty suitcases which the drugs were destined to be packed in to for onwards supply.

A forward-venting blank firearm with five rounds of live ammunition was found hidden behind a ceiling beam, along with numerous mobile devices which had been concealed around the premises.

Ebeja was the intended lookout and driver for the drugs, and was arrested near Agro Foods as he waited inside a hire van Following the arrests, OCP officers searched a flat associated to Diko and Muci, during which they found 37 kilos of cocaine and ammunition for the firearm.

Officers arrested Ebeja at an address in Central London, in October 2023. Muci was arrested outside an address in Hornchurch, East London, the following month.

John Coles, Head of Specialist Operations at the NCA, said:

“We work with partners at home and overseas to target organised criminals at the top of the chain and who pose the greatest risk to the UK, and the NCA is committed to disrupting their activities.

“These men attempted to bring a huge amount of cocaine into the country - one of the largest hauls of its kind on UK soil – which was destined for crime groups across London and the wider UK, and the seizure stemmed from a thorough investigation by NCA and Met Police officers.”

Detective Superintendent Simon Moring, from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Central Specialist Crime Command, said:

“This seizure would have been broken down into many millions of individual deals of cocaine. This level of violence, mental and physical health problems and anti-social behaviour that would have ensued across London and the UK would have been significant.

“This seizure highlights the relentless drive by the Met Police, the NCA and wider UK law enforcement to tackle the illegal supply of drugs.”

Diko and Kuci pleaded guilty to drugs, firearms and ammunition offences at the Old Bailey in October 2021 and April 2023 respectively. Men admitted charges in relation to the weapon and ammunition found at the industrial unit and Diko to the ammunition found at the flat.

Zhutev, from West Beckton, London, was cleared of the firearms and ammunition offences at the same court in July last year, following a two-month trial.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict on drugs importation offences and he was re-tried for these. However, he changed his plea to guilty on Tuesday last week (17 September), 58 days in to the re-trial.

Ebeja and Muci were convicted today (10 October), having faced trial alongside him for the first time. Ebeja and Muci were found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs. Muci was also found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs (in relation to the cocaine found in the flat).

A sentencing date for all five men is yet to be confirmed.

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