Bulgarian national, Petko Zhutev, Ghergii Diko and Bruno Kuci were convicted after pleading guilty to smuggling in cocaine with a street value of about £200, into the UK inside a shipment of bananas from South America. Erik Muci and Olsi Ebeja were found gujlty of their involvement following a trials at the Old Bailey. On Friday Judge Rebecca Trowler KC adjourned sentencing to November 11.

Police cracked the case believed to be one of the biggest drug seizures ever seen in the UK- and how undercover officers posed as lorry drivers to foil the gang in February 2021.

The cocaine was intercepted by officers having arrived in the UK from Colombia. Importer Agro Food Ltd  seemed to be dealing in the trading of fruit that is grown in other countries but consumed by British shoppers. It had spent five years importing and exporting fruit and vegetables, but the firm changed hands in 2020,  when Petko Zhutev, who had not long been in the UK, was appointed as the company’s director.

According to police this case was an example of criminals with ulterior motive taking over a well-run business that was already established in the importing and exporting of produce and less likely to arouse suspicions.

In February 2021, Zhutev signed for an expected delivery of bananas to the company’s warehouse, in north London. In all, 41 pallets of bananas had been shipped to Portsmouth on a cargo ship from Colombia and then delivered by lorries to London.

Unknown to Zhutev and two other associates Diki and Kuci the real contents of the shipment has already been intercepted by the UK’s Border Force and officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) on its arrival at Portsmouth.

The first shipment was rejected at Dover by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) but a second shipment went through leading to the gang loading the third shipment with the drugs.

Inside the containers were more than 2, 330 blocks of cocaine each weighing around 1 kg and valued at £30, 000 per block. “this was significant seizure, One of the biggest ever”, John Coles who leads the NCA’s specialist operations said.

 The crates containing cocaine were replaced with dummy crates and the cocaine replaced with real bananas. Even some of the boxes were bugged with audio devices. Two undercover officers acting as lorry drivers were then tasked with taking the load up the A3, from Portsmouth to the Warehouse in Edmonton, North London.

Once there, Zhutev met them and appeared to show he was the man in charge and helped the drivers park, then inspected the containers and signed for them. Specialist counter-terrorism, firearms officers from the Metropolitan Police smashed down a door to the industrial unit and seized 41 crates of banana boxes – four were clearly put to one side, the dummy crates which bore the same resemblance and bar codes as the ones that had been intercepted.

Various boxes, mobile phones, empty suitcases and a loaded black Turkish Ozkursan revolver were found as officers searched the warehouse. Zhutev. Diko and Kuci were all arrested and subsequently charged with importing Class A drugs, as well as possessing a firearm and ammunition offences after a trial at London’s Old Bailey last summer.  Jurors failed to reach a verdict on the drugs importation charges and retrial took place this summer. Zhutev changed his plea to guilty in September.