A man who masterminded attempts to smuggle “millions of pounds” of hard drugs in and out of the UK - including the crystal meth made famous by TV show Breakin Bad - has been jailed for 17 years.
Shehu Sulat Adisa, 39, a Nigerian national of Spring Hill, Upper Clapton, will also be deported for his role trying to move 9 kg of cocaine and almost 3 kg methamphetamine through the country.
He was arrested on May 2 as he arrived for an immigration interview, and a search of his flat uncovered a Nigerian passport and incriminating documents showing travel bookings and payments from his attempts to recruit couriers and sort travel arrangements for five separate smuggling operations.
Dawn Cartwright, from the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) border policing command, said Adisa had played a prominent role in what was a wider organised crime network.
“He was a crucial link in the chain with contacts in Africa and around the world, and was directly responsible for facilitating the trafficking of millions of pounds worth of class A drugs,” she said.
“Working with Border Force colleagues we are determined to prevent smugglers like Adisa bringing illegal drugs into the UK and causing terrible damage to our communities.”
The first offence took place in July 2011, when Nigerian national Adetokumbo Bakare was arrested at Bristol Airport. She had travelled from Cameroon with five kg of cocaine in her suitcase and was caged for eight years.
Then last May two couriers Maros Kristof and Eva Makunova, from the Czech Republic, were arrested at Newcastle International Airport after flying out of Gambia via Brussels with 2.7 kg of cocaine and 1.6 kg of methamphetamine - they were sentenced to six and four-and-a-half years respectively.
In August 2012 Spaniard Kepa Quintana Landaburu was sentenced to eight years hard labour after picked up by Japanese police at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, carrying 1.2 kg of methamphetamine, having flown out from the UK.
The final offence occurred on March 5 this year, when UK national Adeyinka Adeoti was intercepted at Birmingham Airport carrying 1.3kg of cocaine concealed in the struts of a suitcase.
He was later jailed for four years and ten months.
Adisa was found guilty for his involvement in the five incidents at Woolwich Crown Court on December 2 and was sentenced the next day.
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