A huge stash of drugs was hidden inside 41 pallets of bananas at Agro Food Ltd in Crispin Industrial Estate

The cocaine haul (centre) and (clockwise from left) smugglers Petko Zhutev, Olsi Ebeja, Gjergji Diko and Bruno Kuci

Five members of an organised crime group that smuggled 2.3 tonnes of cocaine in a shipment of bananas from South America have been jailed.

The huge stash of drugs was hidden inside 41 pallets of bananas but was discovered by detectives in February 2021 at Agro Food Ltd in Crispin Industrial Estate, Advent Way, Edmonton. The seizure is believed to be one of the largest ever of its type in the UK.

Petko Zhutev, aged 39 and from Bulgaria, Gjergji Diko, aged 33 and from Italy, Albanian nationals Bruno Kuci, 33, Olsi Ebeja, 40, and Erik Muci, 44, were investigated by the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) – a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police unit – who identified they were planning the importation.

Following the conclusion of a trial in October, at a sentencing hearing this week Muci was sentenced to 33 years in jail, Zhutev to 27 years, Diko to 18 years, Kuci to 21 years and Ebeja to 17 years.

John Coles, head of specialist operations at the NCA, said: “The sentences handed down to these men mark the culmination of a thorough investigation by NCA and Met Police officers.

“By intercepting this huge haul of cocaine, which was one of the largest ever of its kind in the UK, we stopped it from reaching UK communities and protected the public from the scourge of Class A drugs and street violence associated with it.

“We continue to work with partners at home and abroad to target organised criminals at the pinnacle of the Class A drugs supply chain and who pose the greatest risk to the UK.”

Detective Superintendent Victoria Sullivan, from the Metropolitan Police, said: “This joint investigation between the Met, NCA and other partners sends a very clear message to criminals and gang members in the UK and abroad – we will come after you and we will bring you to justice.

“The supply of drugs has devastating consequences on communities. This is why we continue to crack down on drugs and the gangs that exploit vulnerable people, while working closely with partners to support drug users through addiction.”

Border Force officers at Portsmouth International Port had originally found the cocaine after the OCP provided intelligence they would be arriving on a cargo ship from Turbo, Colombia, concealed within a legitimate consignment of bananas. OCP officers removed the cocaine and followed the consignment of bananas until it reached its final destination in Edmonton.

Investigators identified that Zhutev had taken over as the director of the food company in December 2020. Although it was previously a legitimate business, he had acquired it solely to use as a front for criminality. Muci was one of the principal organisers for the drugs importation. He was observed meeting with Zhutev, Kuci and Diko at Agro Foods and arranged the delivery and installation of equipment to support the pretence that it was a legitimate enterprise.

Investigation into the mobile devices used by the crime group showed Muci controlled the importation and ongoing supply of significant quantities of cocaine across the UK. After Zhutev, Kuci and Diko accepted the consignment, armed officers used a circular saw to enter the locked premises during a raid that resulted in their arrest.

The men had constructed dozens of cardboard boxes which they had intended to use to pack with cash generated by drug sales. Officers also found nine empty suitcases which the drugs were destined to be packed into for onwards supply.

Ebeja was the intended lookout and driver for the drugs, and was arrested near Agro Foods as he waited inside a hire van. Ebeja was employed by Muci to act as a courier supplying drugs across the UK.

Following the arrests, OCP officers searched a flat associated to Diko, Ebeja and Muci, during which they found 37 kilos of cocaine and ammunition for the firearm.

Officers arrested Ebeja at an address in central London in October 2023. Muci was arrested outside an address in Hornchurch the following month.

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