Police dismantled a drug smuggling operation that aimed to import £20 million worth of cocaine hidden in frozen fish from South America through London’s Billingsgate Market. The criminals were caught after police decrypted messages on the encrypted communication platform EncroChat. Four members of the gang, led by Samuel Tokeley, received sentences totaling over 70 years for their roles in smuggling and planning to smuggle drugs into Britain.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-26,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
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This is the moment police smashed a drugs gang's plan to smuggle £20million of cocaine in frozen fish from South America as they were jailed for a total of more than 70 years.
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they → see → years
The gang were imprisoned yesterday for smuggling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and ketamine into Britain.
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gang → imprison → Britain
The criminals' most daring plot involved three members planning to import 600kg of cocaine hidden in frozen fish shipments from South America.
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plot → involve → America
The fish would be smuggled in through one of the gang members legitimate fish business in London's Billingsgate Market.
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fish → smuggle → Market
The estimated value of the shipment was more than £20million.
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value → estimate → shipment
Detectives uncovered the intricate drugs plot after dismantling encrypted conversations on platform EncroChat.
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Detectives → uncover → EncroChat
EncroChat was widely used by organised crime groups before being infiltrated and shut down in 2020.
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EncroChat → use → 2020
Officers found messages showing the group discussing payments, shipping documentation, logistics and contacts in Ecuador responsible for sourcing the cocaine.
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group → find → cocaine
However, the fish-smuggling plot never came to fruition.
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plot → smuggle → fruition
Samuel Tokeley, 57, was sentenced to 22 years for his involvement in a plan to smuggle £20million worth of cocaine into Britain
Scott Richards, 51, was jailed for 14 and a half years for conspiracy to import Class A drugs
Dramatic video shows Met officers arresting Richards at an address in Colchester
Four men were sentenced to a total of more than 70 years in jail for their involvement in drug smuggling.
Samuel Tokeley, 57, was sentenced to 22 years, Scott Richards, 51, was jailed for 14 and a half years, Scott Unwin, 52, was imprisoned for 13 years and Nicholas Shilling, 63, of Dubai, received 22 years.
Specialist teams within the Met launched an investigation after intelligence from EncroChat was shared with police through the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Detectives discovered Tokeley, Richards, Unwin and Shilling were the key members within the organised drugs gang.
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Tokeley → sentence → gang
Tokeley was identified as the leader of the gang.
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Tokeley → identify → gang
Officers found that he coordinated the wholesale supply and importation of drugs into Britain.
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he → find → Britain
The gangsters explicitly messaged each other about the movement of cocaine, ketamine, large sums of cash and cryptocurrency as well as plans to use legitimate businesses to move drugs.
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gangsters → message → drugs
Detective Chief Inspector Dean Grafton said: 'This investigation exposed an organised crime group operating on an industrial scale, attempting to hide their criminal activity where people were going about their daily business.
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people → say → business
'The operation had links stretching from South America and mainland Europe to the streets of the UK.
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operation → have → UK
'The defendants believed that encrypted communication platforms would protect them as they discussed vast quantities of drugs, laundering criminal profits and exploiting legitimate businesses to facilitate their offending.
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they → believe → offending
Scott Unwin was put in prison for 13 years following an investigation into messaging platform EncroChat,52, often used by criminal gangs
Video shows Uwin being arrested at an address in Dagenham
Nicholas Shilling, 63, of Dubai was arrested in Ibiza by the Spanish National Police under extradition warrants
'
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Shilling → put → warrants
Through meticulous analysis of EncroChat data and close collaboration with the National Crime Agency and our international law enforcement partners, we were able to identify those responsible and gather overwhelming evidence against them, to ensure they were put behind bars.
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they → identify → bars
These sentences reflect the scale and sophistication of this criminality and demonstrate our relentless determination to pursue organised crime groups wherever they operate.
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they → reflect → groups
Tokeley was living in Alicante, Spain when he was arrested in summer 2023.
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he → live → summer
Officers from the Spanish National Police, supported by the NCA and Met Police, arrested him under extradition warrants.
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Officers → support → warrants
Shilling was arrested in Ibiza under the same powers.
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Shilling → arrest → powers
Dramatic video shows Met officers arresting Richards and Unwin at addresses in Colchester and Dagenham.
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officers → show → Colchester
Police found cash and mobile phones linked to drug dealing.
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Police → find → dealing
Tokeley pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to conspiracy to import Class A drugs.
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Tokeley → plead → drugs
Richards, Unwin and Shilling were convicted by a jury following a trial which concluded in May.
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which → convict → May
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