An organised crime group that smuggled nearly 100kg of cocaine into the UK beneath a decoy load of foie gras and duck breast has been dismantled, following a major National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation.
Four men were sentenced at Hove Crown Court after their elaborate smuggling attempt was foiled by Border Force officers at Newhaven port in East Sussex in November 2019. The drugs, concealed beneath a false floor in a transit van, had an estimated street value of £8 million.
The van was stopped as it arrived on a ferry from Dieppe, France. Officers became suspicious when they noticed the unusually expensive gourmet items stacked in the back. A search revealed 97kg of cocaine hidden underneath.
Following extensive investigations by the NCA, it was determined that the driver of the van was innocent. However, the vehicle’s owners – Jean-Pierre Labelle, 48, of the Isle of Wight, and Tanvir Hussain, 46, of High Wycombe – were found to be complicit in the smuggling operation. They were convicted alongside brothers Michael Keating, 56, of Uxbridge, Middlesex, and Matthew Keating, 49, of Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire.
Michael Keating, described as the operation’s kingpin, used the now-defunct encrypted messaging service EncroChat to coordinate drug imports using the alias ‘Bestrocket’. NCA officers linked him to the handle using a combination of cell site data, seized notes, and family references in messages.
Keating had also purchased a boat, images of which were shared over EncroChat, and planned further drug shipments using the encrypted device. During a raid on his home, officers recovered more than £50,000 in cash and a notebook believed to list other
Matthew Keating admitted involvement in an earlier attempted 80kg ketamine import and was also found to have used EncroChat to communicate with his brother.
Michael Keating: 24 years’ imprisonment (conspiracy to import cocaine)
Jean-Pierre Labelle: 17 years (conspiracy to import cocaine)
Tanvir Hussain: 10 years (conspiracy to import cocaine)
Matthew Keating: 7 years and 6 months (conspiracy to import ketamine)
Mark Ruff, Senior Officer at the NCA, praised the alertness of Border Force officers and the agency’s wider efforts:
“The cover load of foie gras and duck breast is highly unusual, and Border Force colleagues did a superb job in seeing through it and the concealed floor.
This result demonstrates the determination of NCA officers to bring to justice all those involved in the importation of illegal drugs – whether they sort the logistics, knowingly transport the substances, or benefit financially from the trade.”
The NCA continues to work alongside domestic and international partners to dismantle criminal networks and disrupt the Class A drug trade, which it says “fuels violence and misery” across the UK.
