Milton Keynes men jailed for huge drugs conspiracy

Four men, including two from Milton Keynes, in a criminal network caught smuggling millions of pounds' worth of class A drugs into the UK have been jailed for a total of 50 years.

The operation, led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) alongside law enforcement partners in the UK and abroad, marked the biggest ever drugs conspiracy investigation in the unit’s history.

It is also the largest drugs investigation ever in Hertfordshire, with around £4 million of drugs having been recovered from two shipments to a farm after being imported from the Netherlands.

The gang had attempted to conceal the drugs in boxes for plastic spider catchers, as well as disguising them in Jack Daniels packaging.

The gang’s ringleader, Robert Brooks, 50, of Mead Lane, Hertford, was jailed today (Friday) for 21 years at St Albans Crown Court.

He had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of a controlled drug of Class A, namely heroin and cocaine, and possession of criminal property.

He was supported by Richard Campbell, 49, and Tomasz Wozniak, 29, both of Waterside, Milton Keynes, who both played significant roles in assisting Brooks.

Campbell, who the court heard was Brooks’ right-hand man, received a 13 years and six months prison sentence, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of a controlled drug of Class A, namely heroin and cocaine.

Wozniak pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A, namely heroin and cocaine. He was jailed for six years and three months.

Stephen Capp, 56, of Old Lodges, Hull, worked as a courier within the organised crime group. He was arrested on the M25 in December 2019, with five kilograms of cocaine being found in his car.

The drugs were hidden in a specialist compartment within his vehicle in order to avoid detection. He was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a controlled drug of Class A, namely heroin and cocaine, and possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Overall, the men are believed to have been behind the importation of almost £60 million worth of drugs before their organised criminal network was dismantled by a combination of ERSOU, UK Border Force, the National Crime Agency (NCA), Hertfordshire Constabulary and Dutch authorities.

Detective Chief Inspector Trevor Davidson, from ERSOU, said: “Drugs blight our communities in all manner of ways, driving offending from burglary and anti-social behaviour through to knife crime and other serious violence.

“Our aim is to focus on the major players involved in drugs supply and remove their ability to profit off the misery of others, working alongside law enforcement partners locally and internationally.

“This was a major partnership operation which we are confident has dismantled an organised criminal network responsible for putting tens of millions of pounds worth of drugs onto our streets.

“This is just the latest in a number of recent successes to take down some very high level criminals.

"Others looking to line their pockets through the illegal drugs trade should be under no illusion that we will relentlessly pursue them and bring them to justice.”

An investigation by ERSOU, supported by the NCA and Border Force, discovered that between November 2018 and August 2019, 39 deliveries were made to a farm in Hunsdon.

Two of the deliveries were intercepted by UK and Dutch authorities, with 45 kilograms of heroin and 70 kilograms of cocaine being seized. These drugs had a combined wholesale value of between £3 million and £4.2 million.

The other 37 deliveries are believed to have contained approximately 350 kilograms of cocaine and 1,485 kilograms of heroin.

In total the organised crime group smuggled Class A drugs with an estimated wholesale value of between £40 million and £58 million into the country, in what is Hertfordshire’s biggest ever drugs conspiracy.

These were all delivered to business premises owned by Brooks in Hunsdon. He received between £15,000 and £20,000 for every delivery.

Pieter Mannessenn, 50, from Amsterdam, was arrested by Dutch authorities following the seizure of cocaine in Holland. He has since been sentenced to six years imprisonment in Holland.

Superintendent Matt Thompson, from Hertfordshire’s Serious Crime Command, added: “This operation led by ERSOU, supported by the National Crime Agency and Border Force, identified and successfully dismantled a significant organised crime group.

“In Hertfordshire we are determined to work tirelessly with our partners and community to identify those engaged in serious criminality to bring them to justice, but to also ensure that we identify and safeguard those most vulnerable to exploitation from organised crime groups, and minimise the impact of drugs and crime within our communities.

“This is yet another example of the hard work and success we are having throughout Hertfordshire to tackle the supply of drugs and associated criminality.”