4 Ghanaian men sentenced for £4.5m cannabis smuggling operation in the UK

Four Ghanaian men who smuggled nearly 1.5 tonnes of cannabis, worth approximately £4.5 million, into the UK have been sentenced to a combined total of 26 years in prison.

The sentencing took place at Southwark Crown Court on 18 October 2024, concluding a significant case involving cross-border collaboration between Ghana and the UK. The men—Daniel Yeboah, Edward Adjei, Kristoffen Baidoo, and Kwaku Bonsu—played crucial roles in the operation, concealing the drugs within sacks of gari. While Adjei and Yeboah were present in court, Baidoo and Bonsu failed to appear and are currently fugitives.

Yeboah received a five-year sentence, while Adjei was sentenced to four years. Baidoo and Bonsu, sentenced in their absence to ten and seven years respectively, remain at large.

How the smuggling operation was uncovered

The case began when intelligence from Ghana’s Narcotics Control Commission led the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to investigate a container shipment arriving from Ghana. The container, intercepted on 19 December 2019 at Tilbury Docks, contained 2,335 packages of cannabis hidden within sacks of gari, with an estimated street value of £4.3 million.

NCA agents replaced the cannabis with a dummy load fitted with a tracking device, allowing the container to continue its journey to an industrial yard in North London. Upon its arrival, Yeboah signed the delivery note with a fake name, while workers used an angle grinder to open the container. Surveillance caught Bonsu circling the area in his car, taking photos of the container, and Adjei dropping Baidoo off at the location.

Once the group realised the cannabis was missing, they fled the yard in separate vehicles. Officers pursued them and later arrested Yeboah and Adjei in Homerton, Baidoo in Stratford, and Bonsu in Edmonton.

Evidence collected in the investigation

Further investigation uncovered extensive evidence linking the men to the operation. At Baidoo’s home, officers found a 10-tonne hydraulic press commonly associated with drug packaging, as well as mobile phones and dashcams. Dashcam footage from Adjei showed him contacting both Baidoo and Yeboah shortly after the container arrived at the yard. In one call, Adjei warned Yeboah, saying, “My brother, be a little watchful. It is all a little dodgy.” Later, Yeboah expressed concern about the missing cannabis, commenting, “I don’t think the food [drugs] is in it” and “they have removed most of the gari. The people are thieves.”

Additionally, messages on Baidoo’s phone outlined his plan to receive the drugs at the yard, which he had rented under a false name. Bank records revealed payments from Bonsu’s account to a shipping company responsible for transporting the container from Tilbury Docks to the North London site.

National crime agency's response

NCA senior investigating officer Saju Sasikumar remarked on the gravity of the gang’s operation and its potential impact on the UK. “These men used their international contacts to import a huge amount of cannabis into the country. Its onward supply in the UK would have had a catastrophic impact on our communities, fuelling violence and exploitation through county lines drug dealing,” he stated. “Today's result demonstrates the NCA's commitment to targeting organised criminals operating at the top of the drug supply chain and ensuring they are put before the courts.”

Ongoing search for baidoo and bonsu

Despite the convictions, Baidoo and Bonsu remain at large. Authorities are actively pursuing the pair to ensure they serve their sentences. The NCA has reaffirmed its commitment to clamping down on organised crime networks and deterring similar drug-smuggling efforts in the future.

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