West Midlands drug gang jailed over £135 million importation plot

The gang have been jailed for a total of 77 years.

Author: Ben CartwrightPublished 28th Jul 2023

Members of a major organised crime gang operating from the West Midlands behind the importation of at least £135m of drugs into the UK have been handed lengthy jail sentences.

The gang brought nearly two tonnes of cocaine, heroin and ketamine into the UK via ports using a furniture removal company as a front for their travel.

Ringleader Jonathan Arnold, of Sutton Coldfield, enjoyed a life of luxury on the back of his drugs importation empire, enjoying trips to Dubai where he would film himself driving a Ferrari.

The gang would use dummy loads of furniture to hide packages of drugs in lorries and vans, some of which had hidden compartments to conceal the shipments.

Police officers from the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Mercia forces working in the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) dismantled the gang’s operations.

The gang’s downfall started in January last year when one of their couriers, who cannot be named for legal reasons, made a drug run to Europe in a Real Estate Removals van.

But his van was searched by French Customs’ officers who found 63 blocks of cocaine weighing 71kg along with 99 bags of ketamine weighing 101kg. The drugs had a UK wholesale value of £2,561,900.

The biggest single seizure came in April last year, when the gang tried to bring 1,477kg of cocaine with a street value of around £118m into Portsmouth.

The drugs, hidden among bananas, were seized by Dutch police officers on a ship which had travelled from Colombia to Vlissingen in the Netherlands. The ship was allowed to continue its journey into Portsmouth, after the drugs had been removed.

And in June last year, another of the gang’s drivers – Connor Fletcher – travelled to a town near Amsterdam for an overnight trip and returned with 60kg of cocaine hidden in two secret compartments built into the floor of the lorry. By this point, our investigation had linked him to the gang and so we asked Border Force to intercept him on his return and he was arrested.

Estimates for the total value of all the drugs involved in the case vary, but it thought to be at least £135m.

Those in court were:

Jonathan Arnold, aged 30, of Cremorne Road, Sutton Coldfield – head of the group – An importer of drugs and someone who arranged importation of the drugs. He admitted four charges of conspiracy to import and supply drugs – cocaine, heroin and ketamine. Today he was jailed for 23 years and six months.

James Jenkins, aged 25, of Lichfield Street, Tamworth – Was a supervisor for the operation. He has been found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, but not guilty of importing cocaine. Today he was jailed for 15 years.

Connor Fletcher, aged 25, of Bridgnorth Road, Wolverhampton, drove an HGV into Dover from Calais containing 60 kg of cocaine concealed within two hides. Found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine. Today he was jailed for 12 years.

Humayan Sadiq, aged 43, of Manchester. He had planned to move the cocaine that was due to have been brought into Portsmouth from Colombia via Holland. He was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine. He has been jailed for 27 years.

Top left: Arnold, right: Fletcher. Bottom left: Jenkins, right: Sadiq

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