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A gang has been found guilty of trying to smuggle £200m worth of cocaine into the UK disguised as bananas from South America. Petko Zhutev, Ghergii Diko, and Bruno Kuci pleaded guilty while Erik Muci and Olsi Ebeja were also found guilty for their involvement in the operation. The shipment was intercepted by officers, and undercover officers posed as lorry drivers to catch the gang in February 2021.
The gang had infiltrated Agro Food Ltd, which was established in importing and exporting of produce, as a “reputable business,” the police said. The importer had spent five years dealing in trading, and the firm changed hands in December 2020. Police suggest this case was an example of criminals taking over a company that is already established and less likely to arouse suspicion. This allowed the gang to have “an extra layer of protection.”
In February 2021, Bulgarian national, Zhutev signed for an expected delivery of bananas to the company’s warehouse in north London unaware that officers had intercepted the shipment on its arrival at Portsmouth. However, the crates containing the cocaine were replaced with dummy crates, and the cocaine was replaced with real bananas. Undercover officers transported the load up the A3 to the warehouse in Edmonton while being bugged with audio devices.
Zhutev, Diko, and Kuci were all arrested, and various boxes, mobile phones, empty suitcases and a loaded black Turkish Ozkursan revolver were found as officers searched the warehouse. The cocaine was concealed in more than 2,330 blocks each weighing nearly 1kg, and with a value of £30,000 per block. Mr Coles said smuggling drugs is an evolving battle, and criminals will find different ways to import drugs into the UK.
The sentencing has been adjourned to November 11 by Judge Rebecca Trowler KC. Muci was found guilty of smuggling and supplying Class A drugs and sentenced to 24 years imprisonment, while Ebeja was found guilty of smuggling Class A drugs and sentenced to 16 years in jail. The other three will be sentenced at a later date
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