Drug ring and corrupt border officer jailed after importing £400,000 worth of MDMA
The Met and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have jailed four members of a drug ring after finding £400,000 worth of MDMA in the boot of a car.
At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, Caprice Thompson, 46, Hayter Road, Brixton, was handed a seven-year sentence after being found guilty of conspiracy to import class-A drugs.
Ringleader David Johnson, 51, of Reed Place, Clapham, was given a 12-year jail term for conspiracy to import class-A drugs and Sinan Baki, 49, of Britannia Close, Clapham, got eight years for supplying class-A drugs.
Kevin Smith , 37, of Mayfield Road, Portsmouth, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting to a charge of misconduct in a public office.
The court heard that Smith – a UK Border Force officer in Portsmouth responsible for searching vehicles – was working with the criminal network.
Officers watched the routes taken by members of the group, including Thompson, who was picking up MDMA batches from France. Police also downloaded messages from encrypted apps to show the groups different drop-off points in South London, mainly near Brixton and Clapham.
Thompson was arrested on August 26 last year, after she was intercepted in a rental car on the way back to London from the port of Portsmouth where Smith had allowed her to pass through a Border Force booth.
When she was arrested, the car was searched and 15kg of MDMA was found in the boot with a street value of £400,000.
Met officers arrested Baki and Johnson on the same night where more drugs were found hidden at their addresses and vehicles, including behind the steering wheel of Baki’s car.
Dave Rock, of the NCA’s anti-corruption unit, said: “Kevin Smith sought to use his privileged access and knowledge of systems and processes to aid this crime group who were able to bring large amounts of class-A into the UK unchecked.
“This operation demonstrated the excellent co-operation between the NCA, Met Police and Border Force who worked together to stop this gang in their tracks and prevent class A drugs reaching the streets.”
Pictured top: Clockwise from top left, Caprice Thompson, Sian Baki, Kevin Smith and David Johnson (Picture: The Met)
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