Four Ghanaian men have received prison sentences for their involvement in smuggling 1.5 tons of cannabis valued at £4.5 million in the UK, following an extensive investigation.
Adjei, Yeboah, Bonsu, and Baidoo have been sentenced to four, five, seven, and ten years, respectively.
While Adjei and Yeboah were present at Southwark Crown Court for their sentencing, Baidoo and Bonsu absconded and are currently fugitives.
Case Overview
The drug smuggling operation was uncovered thanks to intelligence shared between the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission and the UK’s National Crime Agency.
When border officers inspected a container at Tilbury Docks, they found 2,335 packages of cannabis hidden inside sacks of gari, leading to an estimated street value of £4.3 million.
In a strategic move, law enforcement replaced the actual drugs with a dummy package containing a tracking device. This allowed authorities to monitor the container’s movement to a North London industrial yard.
Yeboah signed for the delivery using a fake name, and workers at the yard used an angle grinder to open the container.
Meanwhile, Bonsu was spotted driving around the yard, taking pictures, while Adjei dropped Baidoo off at the location.
Upon discovering that the drugs were no longer in the container, the group fled in various vehicles, leaving the scene.
The police managed to track them down later that day, apprehending Yeboah and Adjei in Homerton, Baidoo in Stratford, and Bonsu in Edmonton.
Investigation Findings
Further investigations led to significant discoveries at Baidoo’s home, where a 10-tonne hydraulic press—commonly used for compressing drugs—was found alongside multiple electronic devices, including mobile phones and dash cameras.
Dashcam footage from Adjei revealed that he contacted Baidoo and Yeboah right after the container’s arrival at the yard. During one conversation, he warned Yeboah, saying, “My brother, be a little watchful. It is all a little dodgy.” Yeboah, in turn, voiced concerns about the missing drugs, noting, “I don’t think the food [drugs] is in it,” and expressed frustration, stating, “they have removed most of the gari. The people are thieves.”
Additionally, Baidoo’s text messages and emails laid out his plans to receive the drugs at the yard, which he had rented under a false identity. Bonsu’s bank statements further revealed multiple payments made to a shipping company for transporting the container from Tilbury Docks to the North London yard.
Source: tigpost.co
