Drug gang that flooded UK with narcotics jailed for complete of 195 years

A drug gang that brought more than a billion pounds worth of narcotics into the UK have been jailed for total of 195 years.

Metropolitan Police detectives worked with the National Crime Agency – Britain’s FBI – on a four-year investigation that has put 12 ‘dangerous’ men behind bars.

Officers said the ‘painstaking’ investigation has helped to stop more than a billion pounds worth of Class A drugs from flooding the capital and other areas of the UK.

Detectives from the Met first began investigating the west-London based gang, headed up by Paul O’Brien and Lee Mortimer, in 2020.

NCA investigators identified O’Brien as a leading figure in the network.

On 29 May 2020, after conducting surveillance on one of the known gang members, Met officers intercepted a drugs exchange between O’Brien and Mortimer and other members of the gang.

Career criminal O’Brien, 57, from Uxbridge, west London, trafficked drugs and dirty cash between Ireland and the Netherlands.

He was identified as part of Operation Venetic – the UK’s part in the takedown of the encrypted communications platform EncroChat.

Arrangements for transporting cocaine and 900,000 euros in cash were discovered in EncroChat messages between O’Brien, who was using the handle ‘ONEDIAMONDGEE’ on the encrypted network, and another crook.

Conversations between the pair showed that on the morning of 4 April 2020, two vehicles – a HGV and a car – met near the village of Uddel in the Netherlands and exchanged drugs worth up to £1million if sold in the UK.

The drugs were successfully brought into the UK later the same day, and arrangements were made for it to be collected in Ireland. On 10 April, 300,000 euros belonging to O’Brien were collected near Louth in Ireland and transported to the Netherlands by car.

A month later, on 11 May, a second pick-up of 600,000 euros was arranged at a bus station in Drogheda, Ireland, again to be taken by couriers from Ireland to the Netherlands.

But this time Garda officers conducting a surveillance operation moved in to intercept the cash and arrest couriers transporting the dirty money.

O’Brien was identified as the ‘ONEDIAMONDGEE’ user after his EncroChat device was seized on 29 May 2020 when he was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers at his Uxbridge home.

He subsequently pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to commit a crime abroad, and at Isleworth Crown Court on 3 November, 2023, a judge sentenced him to 21 years imprisonment.

This led to a series of arrests and officers seized more than 160kgs of cocaine as well as over £1million in cash and other high value assets, including vehicles and jewellery.

The investigation into O’Brien allowed Met officers to identify members of another drug-dealing gang operating in Greater Manchester and led by Jonathan Strogylos.

With help from the NCA, Met officers accessed the network’s encrypted EncroChat messages, which revealed that the gang imported more than 8.5 tonnes of cocaine between 2017 and 2020.

The total value of the drugs imported into the UK over this period are assessed to be worth more than £1billion.

Working in partnership with Essex police, Met officers were later able to make a further series of arrests and seize another 138kg of cocaine and 8kgs of heroin, which had been imported via the Harwich port.

Detective Chief Superintendent Ella Marriott, Head of the London Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: ‘This is an investigation that demonstrates how Met officers are going above and beyond to make London safe by removing drug dealers from the capital and other parts of the UK.

‘This is community crime-fighting at its best, removing offenders who impact the lives of those around them.

‘We’ve seen time and time again that the supply of drugs has devastating consequences on communities across the country.

‘It causes addiction, has devastating health impacts and leads to anti-social behaviour and violence. That is why we are determined to crack down on drugs and the gangs that exploit vulnerable people, while also working with partners to support drug users through addiction.

‘This investigation should serve as a message to criminals and gang members bringing drugs onto our streets – we will come after you and we will bring you to justice.’

NCA Branch Commander Martin Clarke: ‘The NCA were able to work in collaboration with the Met to share information which enabled us to identify and dismantle this organised crime group in its entirety.

‘The criminal network was international in its scope, with connections to drug suppliers across the globe.

‘Our work with the Met has resulted in significant custodial sentences for the gang’s members, and demonstrates our commitment to do all we can with our law enforcement partners to protect the public by targeting the organised criminal networks causing most harm to the UK.’