Drug ring caught after importing £400,000 worth of MDMA from France
The Met and the National Crime Agency (NCA) have convicted four members of a drug ring after finding £400,000 worth of MDMA in the boot of a car.
At Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday, Caprice Thompson, 46, Hayter Road, Brixton, was found guilty of conspiracy to import class-A drugs.
Sinan Baki, 49, of Britannia Close, Clapham, pleaded guilty to supplying class-A drugs.
David Johnson, 51, of Reed Place, Clapham, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import class-A drugs.
Kevin Smith , 37, of Mayfield Road, Portsmouth, pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office.
All four will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on June 7.
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 co-operation in action with the NCA, MPS and Border Force anti-corruption officers working together to prevent these drugs reaching the criminal market.”
Pictured top: Clockwise from top left, Caprice Thompson, Sian Baki, Kevin Smith, David Johnson (Picture: The Met)