The Met began investigating the group in December 2020. In 2021, officers from the National Crime Agency – who were separately investigating one of the individuals, provided crucial intelligence that the group were planning to import class A drugs from overseas.
The seven men planned to import 30 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of more than £1 million, deciding to conceal the class A drugs through coating broomsticks in a lacquer containing cocaine, shipped in a container via legitimate means.
To the naked eye, the broom handles looked completely normal and were concealed with other bundles of normal broom handles. The cocaine underwent a chemical process in Colombia to convert it into a lacquer which was used to varnish the broom handles.
The broom handles were ordered from Colombia in April 2021, the group being careful to lay down a false audit trail to divert suspicion. A shipping container storing the brooms arrived on 23 October 2021 and transported to an industrial unit.
On 25 October 2021, police and NCA officers attended the unit on the Darent Industrial Park, Kent, where the mops and broom handles were being unloaded.
Five of the people unloading the lorrywere arrested at the scene and two men, who had also been involved in the group’s activities, were arrested later the same day at their home addresses.
They were all charged with conspiracy to import cocaine.
Detective Sergeant Nicola Hawkins who led the investigation said:
“These men were a group of career criminals with previous convictions for similar offences. Miranda and his accomplices played a hands-on role in the importation and were caught red handed by officers, who had been diligently watching and building strong evidence against them.
“The data officers discovered on Miranda’s phone during the trial was a treasure trove of evidence incriminating him, including images showing the cocaine being painted onto the broom handles in Columbia.
“Our priority is to keep Londoners safe – drugs cause misery to communities and the associated issues plague local residents. The Met is taking out the organised supply of drugs into the UK at the top of the chain and removing those involved at all levels off the streets of London. In order to continue to achieve this objective, the Met continues to work closely with our partners at the NCA.”
Dean Wallbank, Senior Investigating Officer from the National Crime Agency, said:
“The NCA is committed to tackling drug trafficking, no matter how hard offenders attempt to hide their activity, and we work tirelessly to dismantle gangs like this one every single day.
“Once we established that Daniel Oliver was working with a London based crime group already under investigation by the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, we shared our intelligence in support of a joint approach to tacking this organised criminal network.
“The results today show what we can achieve through collaboration with our policing colleagues, ensuring that drugs are kept off the streets and the public is kept safe from serious and organised crime.”
Details of six men jailed for 135 years – At Kingston Crown Court on Thursday, 14 December:
Nigel Rogers, 61 (01.07.61), of Olympia Way Whitstable, Kent, was sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment.
Frank Asante, 49 (17.12.74), of Ledbury Road, Kensington and Chelsea, was sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment.
Yuni Alexis Pacheco Miranda, 54 (14.11.58) of The Roundway, Tottenham, was sentenced to 29 years’ imprisonment.
Daniel Oliver, 52 (15.02.71), of The Parade, Margate, Kent, was sentenced to 29 years’ imprisonment.
Ermal Shtrezi, 40 (03.04.82), of Lyndhurst Road, Haringey, was sentenced to 23 years’ imprisonment.
Terrence Allen, 74 (04.01.49), of Wordsworth Road, Welling, was sentenced to 13 years’ imprisonment.
A seventh man, William Adams, 75 (30.04.47), of Brunswick Field, Teynham, Kent, will be sentenced at a later date.
The conviction followed an eight-month trial after Specialist Crime detectives carried out an eight-month surveillance investigation.
Mugshots and images from the investigation are available for download on the link below
