£80m cocaine haul seized in Northampton after lorry driver's tea break
A gang smuggling cocaine hidden in a lorry was exposed after the driver stopped for tea. Three men have now been jailed following a two-year Met Police investigation.
Three jailed after £80m cocaine seizure triggered by roadside tea stop
A lorry driver's decision to pull over for a cup of tea from a roadside burger van in Northampton in November 2021 led to the unravelling of an £80 million cocaine smuggling operation, the Evening Standard reports.
Witnesses at the layby saw a grey Transit van pull up alongside the stationary lorry. A group of men then removed large, wrapped packages from the vehicle and fled the scene. Police were called, and officers discovered seven holdalls containing cocaine hidden inside the lorry.
Within two hours, Northamptonshire Police had located the Transit van and recovered a further 11 holdalls of drugs. In total, 18 holdalls were seized on 26 November 2021, containing 78kg of cocaine — a class A drug with a street value of more than £80 million. Northamptonshire Police described it at the time as the force's biggest-ever seizure of class A drugs.
The lorry's container had been declared as 29 pallets of steel furniture parts and had been sealed before leaving Mexico in September 2021.
Two-year Metropolitan Police investigation
The seizure prompted a two-year investigation by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, who traced the gang's movements through financial records. Those records showed that members of the group had arrived in Ipswich on 12 November 2021 — the same day the shipment docked at Felixstowe port.
Kelly Robertson was arrested in December 2023. Craig Le-Mare, who had left the UK shortly after the drugs were seized, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on 25 January 2025.
On Wednesday, Le-Mare, 36, from Watford, was jailed for 20 years at the Old Bailey after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. Michael Weston, 57, of no fixed abode, and Robertson, 46, also from Watford, had previously admitted their roles in the plot. Weston was jailed for 12 years and nine months; Robertson received 15 years.
Sentencing Le-Mare, Judge Richard Marks KC said he had played a significant role in the multimillion-pound operation. His task — described by the judge as "important but rather menial" — was to follow the lorry and ensure the drugs reached their destination. Le-Mare had claimed he was paid only £6,000 for his involvement, a figure Judge Marks rejected as "entirely fanciful". The judge also noted that Le-Mare's own account of leading an "aimless existence" and "bumming about" was difficult to reconcile with his participation in a leading role in a multimillion-pound conspiracy.
Police statements
Detective Inspector Dean Grafton, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said the case had exposed "an intricately planned operation, where the defendants hoped to make millions by selling cocaine across the UK."
"Officers worked for two years as they meticulously unravelled their operation, conclusively proving their role in the attempted heist," Grafton said. "Drugs fuel criminality and rip families and communities apart. These sentences prove our relentless determination to pursue organised crime groups and put dangerous criminals in prison."
Assistant Chief Constable Emma James of Northamptonshire Police said the discovery had "prevented dangerous drugs from reaching communities across the UK" and highlighted the importance of collaboration between forces.
"While the Metropolitan Police led the subsequent investigation, the swift response by Northamptonshire Police officers at the outset helped secure crucial evidence and disrupt the criminal group's plans," James said.
Source: Evening Standard