Three people have been sentenced to a total of more than 47 years in prison for trying to smuggle £80million worth of cocaine into the UK, following an intensive Met investigation.

Officers from Northamptonshire Police were called to a layby on Lilliput Road, Northampton, on Friday 26 November 2021 after an HGV driver reported that his container had been broken into and items had been stolen.

The container was supposed to include 29 pallets of steel furniture parts and had been sealed before it left Mexico on Thursday, 30 September.

But when the driver stopped to get a cup of tea from a burger van, bystanders saw a grey transit van park at the rear of the lorry and a group of men remove large, wrapped packages from the rear before fleeing from the scene.

Over that day officers would recover 18 holdalls of cocaine – totaling 780kg and with a street value of more than £80million.

The investigation was passed to specialist Met officers who launched an investigation, tracking the network across the country as they unraveled the gang’s movements and secured a conviction.

Detective Inspector Dean Grafton, who led the Met investigation, said: “This investigation exposed an intricately planned operation, where the defendants hoped to make millions by selling cocaine across the UK.

“Officers worked for two years as they meticulously unraveled their operation, conclusively proving their role in the attempted heist.

“Drugs fuel criminality and rip families and communities apart. These sentences prove our relentless determination to pursue organised crime groups and put dangerous criminals in prison.”

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James of Northamptonshire Police said: “The discovery of this substantial quantity of cocaine in Northamptonshire led to a significant investigation which ultimately prevented dangerous drugs from reaching communities across the UK.

“While the Metropolitan Police led the subsequent investigation, the swift response by Northamptonshire Police officers at the outset helped secure crucial evidence and disrupt the criminal group’s plans.

“This investigation highlights the value of effective collaboration between policing partners. Working alongside colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service, we helped ensure those responsible were identified, brought before the courts and held accountable for their actions.

“The harm caused by cocaine extends far beyond those directly involved in its supply and use, fuelling exploitation, violence and wider criminality. We remain committed to working with our partners to tackle serious organised crime and protect our communities.”

The investigation

After the shipment of drugs was identified specialist Met officers launched an investigation, gathering CCTV and tracking the suspects’ routes to and from the scene.

They quickly uncovered that the gang had been working for the last month to hire vehicles and get people in place for the attempted heist.

Financial records showed that members of the group had arrived in Ipswich on the same day the shipment arrived at Felixstowe port – Friday, 12 November. Analysis of their financial records revealed they had booked rooms at a budget hotel, hired a van and ordered large takeaways to their rooms.

Officers found they had laid in wait until – at 6.02hrs on Friday, 26 November – they followed the lorry as it left the haulage yard. Driving in a black Ford Mondeo, a grey Vauxhall Astra and white BMW, they trailed it for 125 miles across the country to Northampton, with Michael Weston sending a message to his partner at 06.31hrs saying “things are happening for me v soon”.

At 08.20hrs the container lorry pulled into Liliput Lane so the driver could get a coffee from a burger van. The group quickly moved in, blocking the lorry in.

They then broke into the container, removing holdalls and loading them into a grey Transit van.

But when bystanders saw what they were doing the group were forced to abandon their theft and flee. Inside the lorry, officers found they had left behind seven holdalls containing cocaine.

Within two hours, Northamptonshire Police located the silver Transit van used in the heist – recovering a further 11 holdalls containing drugs.

Met officers traced the thieves as they left the scene, meticulously tracking them even as they switched cars, changed numberplates, split up and even falsely reported the van as stolen as they desperately tried to avoid detection.

After their arrest, forensic analysis of their devices further proved their roles. After news of the police seizure broke in 2021, phone data showed Weston had texted a friend a link to a BBC article and complaining that he was now “skint” for Christmas.

Kelly Robertson was arrested on Tuesday, 14 December 2023 after Met officers had unravelled the network, conclusively proving their role in the operation.

Craig Le-Mare left the UK shortly after the drugs were seized. He was arrested at Gatwick Airport on Saturday, 25 January 2025.

Sentences:

Craig Le-Mare, 36 (08.03.1990), of no fixed abode, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at the Old Bailey. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday, 4 November.

Michael Weston, 57, (06.08.1969), of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine on Friday, 15 March 2024 at Snaresbrook Crown Court. He was sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison on Friday, 22 May 2026.

Kelly Robertson, 46 (09.07.1980), of Peregrine Close, Watford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine on Tuesday, 12 March 2024 at Snaresbrook Crown Court. She was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Friday, 22 November 2024.