Gangsters tried to disguise cocaine with foie gras and duck breasts
A group of smugglers tried to disguise nearly 100kg of cocaine with foie gras and duck breasts.
The four gangsters had installed a false floor in a transit van, which they stashed £9 million worth of cocaine underneath. On top of it, they piled boxes and boxes filled with food items as a cover for the elaborate operation.
The van was stopped by Border Force officers as it arrived into Newhaven, East Sussex, from the fishing port of Dieppe, northern France, in November 2019.
The plot was foiled when officers grew suspicious about the piles of foie gras and duck breasts inside the vehicle.
An investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) found that the scheme had been orchestrated by drug kingpin Michael Keating, 56, of Umbridge in Middlesex, who had sourced the drugs through his international connections with the help of his 49-year-old brother Matthew of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.
Jean-Pierre Labelle, 48, and Tanvir Hussain, 46, who are the owners of the van, were arrested along with the brothers. The van driver was found to be innocent.
Michael Keating had used an encrypted messaging app called EncroChat under the online moniker 'Bestrocket' to plan his drug runs, the NCA said.
His brother also had an EncroChat phone and used the app to plan an 80kg importation of ketamine.
During a search of Michael's home, officers seized more than £50,000 in cash and a notebook that appeared to contain EncroChat handles.
Michael and Hussain were convicted of conspiring to import cocaine by a jury at Hove Crown Court in February last year.
On Friday, Michael Keating was sentenced to 24 years' imprisonment. Hussain was jailed for 10 years. Labelle admitted to conspiracy to import cocaine in October 2023 and was jailed for 17 years.
Matthew Keating pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import ketamine in January last year and was sentenced to seven years and six months.
Mark Ruff, the NCA senior officer, said: 'The cover load of foie gras and duck breast is highly unusual, and Border Force colleagues did a superb job in seeing through it and the concealed floor.
'This result demonstrates the determination of NCA officers to bring to justice all those involved in the importation of illegal drugs – whether they sort the logistics, knowingly transport the substances, or benefit financially from the trade. In this case, we proved the offenders' links and completely dismantled a crime group.
'The Class A drugs trade fuels violence and misery at every step of its way to the UK. We will continue to work alongside partners at home and abroad to right the threat of Class A drugs.'
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