Six men have been jailed for a total of 135 years after smuggling more than £1 million of cocaine into the UK by coating it invisibly on broom handles.
It is thought to be the first time the method has been used to import the drug into the UK, the Metropolitan Police said.
The gang members were convicted in June, after a four and a half-month trial, of conspiracy to import cocaine, almost two years after their arrests in October 2021 following an investigation by the Met and the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Nigel Rogers, 62, of Whitstable, Frank Asante, 48, of west London, Yuni Alexis Pacheco Miranda, 65, of north London, Daniel Oliver, 52, of Margate, Ermal Shtrezi, 41, of north London, and Terrence Allen, 74, of south-east London, were jailed at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday.
William Adams, 76, of Sittingbourne, was due to appear alongside the other men on Thursday but was unwell and will be sentenced at a later date.
The gang smuggled 580 coated broom handles overall, but none of the drugs made it on to the streets.
The men were also sentenced for a range of other drug-related offences.
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/six-men-jailed-smuggling-1m-164939136.html
Sean Hocking
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