A billion dollar international drug smuggling empire in the UK has been dismantled after a gang member left a van loaded with drugs unattended during a night of heavy drinking, triggering a chain of arrests, according to a report.
The drug ring, allegedly led by Paul Green, known as "The Big Fella," operated from 2016 to 2018. Heroin, cocaine, amphetamines, and cannabis were imported into the UK on an industrial scale, The Independent reported.
To evade detection, the gang concealed drugs in shipments of pungent food items, including onions and garlic. They used cloned companies, encrypted communications, and fake identities.
The £7 billion ($8.9 billion) operation continued even after police seizures.
The Nationals Crime Agency (NCA), with the help of Dutch authorities, launched a thorough investigation, ultimately charging 18 individuals.
Recently, a critical mistake by one of the gang members, Russell Leonard, who left a van containing £1.1 million ($1.4 million) worth of amphetamines unattended in Amsterdam during a night of drinking, allowed Dutch police to intercept the drugs.
Later raids and further investigation exposed the full scale of the operation, with evidence of at least 240 drug shipments.
As a result, Paul Green received a 32-year sentence, with other key members also facing prison terms.
The investigation continues to unravel the group's financial networks, with authorities pursuing asset confiscation to recover millions in illicit gains.
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