A notorious drug smuggling gang in the UK has been jailed for running the country’s biggest-ever drug smuggling operation. The gang, led by Paul Green, transported over £7 billion worth of narcotics using trucks filled with rotting onions and other smelly vegetables. Green was the main contact for various organized criminal groups who paid a fee to ship heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and cannabis into the UK from Europe. They went to great lengths to hide their involvement by setting up front businesses and warehouses in Rotterdam and the north of England using false identities.
The gang hid the drugs within pallets of fresh produce at the Dutch end of the operation, which were then shipped to the UK by unsuspecting haulage firms. Onions, garlic, and ginger were commonly used to conceal the smell of the narcotics. The gang’s customers included Merseyside mob enforcer John Kinsella, who was shot dead in 2018. Despite arrests and drug seizures, the gang continued their importations by switching to different companies. Only six drug seizures were made, but investigators were able to prove at least 240 consignments took place with up to four shipments per week.
The main purpose of the gang was the importation of controlled drugs on an unprecedented scale with a value of at least £2 billion and potentially as high as £7 billion. The harm caused by their actions was described as incalculable, resulting in addiction, misery, social degradation, and death. Green, along with his accomplices, received lengthy prison sentences for conspiracy to import drugs and fraud. They had no previous convictions, but had changed their names multiple times. Other key members of the gang were also sentenced to lengthy jail terms for their involvement in the drug smuggling operation.
The defendants were separated into two trials with reporting restrictions lifted following the conclusion of the second trial, which lasted nine months. The first trial involving Green lasted 23 months, with jurors taking 141 hours to reach their verdicts. Green was sentenced to 32 years in prison, while his right-hand man, Steven Martin, received 28 years, and another key member, Muhammad Ovais, was sentenced to 27 years. Other individuals involved in the conspiracy were also given lengthy prison sentences for their roles in the drug smuggling operation.
The gang’s tactics to evade detection and cheat justice were described as extremely high-harm by the National Crime Agency (NCA). They smuggled huge quantities of drugs into the UK, showing no ethics in their actions. The investigation was a joint effort between NCA officers and Dutch partners who were tenacious in uncovering the extent of the gang’s criminal activities. The offenders used various tactics such as cloning businesses and stealing identities to carry out their drug smuggling operation. The investigation and subsequent arrests have left a trail of devastation for innocent people affected by the gang’s illegal activities.
