Four Ghanaians have been convicted of smuggling cannabis valued at £4.5 million, concealed within sacks of gari powder, from Ghana to South Essex, United Kingdom.
The men are Daniel Yeboah, 54, Kristoffen Baidoo, 48, Kwaku Bonsu, 52, all from London, and Edward Adjei, 48, from Grays.
They were found guilty by a jury after a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
According to media reports (www.echo-news.co.uk), the drug haul was uncovered by border force officers inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks, following a sting operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The container had arrived from Ghana on December 19, 2019, and was held before its scheduled delivery to London.
Intelligence from the NCA and the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission indicated the presence of drugs.
A subsequent search revealed 2,335 packages of herbal cannabis weighing a total of 1.5 tonnes hidden inside white hessian sacks of Gari powder.
The estimated street value of the drugs was approximately £4.3 million.
After the drugs were seized, they were replaced with dummy packages.
On January 13, 2020, the container was transported from Tilbury Docks to an industrial yard in north London under surveillance.
Upon arrival, Yeboah signed the delivery note using a fake signature, while a worker at the yard removed the container seal with an angle grinder.
Bonsu was seen circling the yard in his car and taking photographs of the container.
Mr. Adjei was observed dropping Mr. Baidoo off at the location. Realising that the drugs were missing, all four men fled in different vehicles shortly after the container was opened.
Law enforcement officers arrested them later that day: Yeboah and Adjei in Homerton, Baidoo in Stratford, and Bonsu in Edmonton.
A 10-tonne hydraulic press, commonly used for compressing drugs, was found at Baidoo’s residence.
Officers also seized multiple devices from the men, including mobile phones and dash cams from their vehicles.
Footage from Adjei’s dash cam captured phone calls he made to Baidoo and Yeboah shortly after the container’s arrival.
In one call, Mr. Adjei cautioned Yeboah, saying, “My brother, be a little watchful. It is all a little dodgy.”
Later calls revealed Mr. Yeboah expressing doubts about the contents of the container and alleging that “the people are thieves.”
Text messages and emails on Mr. Baidoo’s phone uncovered his plan to take delivery of the drugs at the yard, which he had rented under a false name to conceal his identity.
Additionally, Mr. Bonsu’s bank account showed multiple payments to a shipping company for transporting the container from Tilbury Docks to the north London yard.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer Saju Sasikumar stated, “Today’s result is testament to the joint international work between the NCA and the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission to intercept the drugs shipment, and the tireless efforts of our officers to identify the criminal group behind its importation.
“Had this huge haul of cannabis reached the UK supply chain, it would have fueled exploitation through county lines activity as well as serious violence and knife crime.
“Putting these harmful criminal groups before the courts and dismantling their illegal operations is a key part of the NCA’s mission to protect the public from serious and organised crime.”
All four men will be sentenced on October 18.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke