Crime boss Petko Zhutev and four others have been found guilty today at the Old Bailey
SHARE:
A drug-smuggling gang has been jailed after cocaine with a street value of £200 million was intercepted in a shipment of bananas – making it the UK’s largest haul of the drugs at the time.
Crime boss Petko Zhutev was in charge of taking delivery of the Colombian drugs at a London warehouse in February 2021 – unaware it had already been seized by border officials at Portsmouth.
Midway through a retrial at the Old Bailey, Zhutev, 39, who entered the UK from Bulgaria in January 2021, admitted importation of a class A drug having previously been cleared of possession of a revolver and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
He has been jailed at the Old Bailey for 27 years alongside four others, after Judge Rebecca Trowler KC said he played a “leading role” in the importation.
Sentencing them on Tuesday, Judge Trowler said the importation was “plainly the work of an organised crime group with international elements”, adding the group had Bulgarian and Albanian elements.
Jurors were told the cocaine had a potential street value of at least £186 million, rising to £200 million when mixed with other substances, at the time making it the largest inland seizure ever by UK officers.
Judge Trowler said the “sophisticated” operation included specialist laminated glass being installed at the warehouse to limit visibility, as well as the use of hi-vis jackets to give the impression of a legitimate operation and Dutch sim phones to avoid detection.
Submitted Article
Headline
Short Headline
Standfirst
Published Article
HeadlineDrug smugglers jailed after £200m of cocaine found in banana boxes
Short HeadlineSmugglers jailed after £200m of cocaine found in banana boxes
StandfirstFive members of an international crime group sentenced after UK's largest inland cocaine seizure, hidden in Colombian banana shipment
A drug-smuggling gang has been jailed after cocaine with a street value of £200 million was intercepted in a shipment of bananas – making it the UK’s largest haul of the drugs at the time.
Crime boss Petko Zhutev was in charge of taking delivery of the Colombian drugs at a London warehouse in February 2021 – unaware it had already been seized by border officials at Portsmouth.
Midway through a retrial at the Old Bailey, Zhutev, 39, who entered the UK from Bulgaria in January 2021, admitted importation of a class A drug having previously been cleared of possession of a revolver and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
He has been jailed at the Old Bailey for 27 years alongside four others, after Judge Rebecca Trowler KC said he played a “leading role” in the importation.
Sentencing them on Tuesday, Judge Trowler said the importation was “plainly the work of an organised crime group with international elements”, adding the group had Bulgarian and Albanian elements.
Jurors were told the cocaine had a potential street value of at least £186 million, rising to £200 million when mixed with other substances, at the time making it the largest inland seizure ever by UK officers.
Judge Trowler said the “sophisticated” operation included specialist laminated glass being installed at the warehouse to limit visibility, as well as the use of hi-vis jackets to give the impression of a legitimate operation and Dutch sim phones to avoid detection.
