Drugs worth £90m smuggled in banana shipment - court

An organised crime gang behind a plot to smuggle £90m worth of cocaine into the UK were assisted by a port security guard who acted as an “inside man”, a court has heard.

The group of men, including the security guard, were arrested after 100 police officers swooped on the Port of Sheerness in Kent in December 2021.

Officers seized more than a tonne of cocaine found hidden in a shipment of bananas from Costa Rica.

Six of the men have admitted conspiring to import Class A drugs and are awaiting sentencing at Maidstone Crown Court.

Paul Douglas, prosecuting, said the gang were assisted by security guard Sam Elphick, 30, from Sheerness, who acted as an “inside man” to help them access the port.

However, the court heard the gang, led by Danny Laird, 41, from Hertfordshire, and Joel McCaughey, 34, from Manchester, had been under police surveillance.

The prosecution said McCaughey flew to Costa Rica to arrange for the consignment of drugs to be loaded onto a ship and had stood to make about £400,000 from the venture.

When he returned back in the UK, arrangements were made to collect the drugs once they had arrived.

The prosecution said this involved buying a forklift and training gang members to unload the cargo quickly.

In the early hours of 19 December 2021, the gang were let into the port by Elphick and began unloading the shipment, Mr Douglas told the court.

The others charged with conspiring to import Class A drugs are Darren Laurie, 53, of no fixed abode, and Kyle Davidson, 32, Ian Woodward, 35 and Michael Turner, 57 – all of Hertfordshire.

Elphick has admitted participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

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