An organised crime group (OCG), believed to be the first in the United Kingdom to extract cocaine chemically concealed in cosmetic hair removal wax products, has been sentenced to a total of 44 years and one month in prison.

City of London Police successfully dismantled a large-scale drug extraction laboratory, thought to be the first of its kind in the UK, in a residential area of London, where the criminal group extracted the drugs through a sophisticated chemical process.

Four members of the OCG pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cocaine and conspiracy to supply cocaine.  They are:

• Humberto Caicedo Ramirez, 53, of Vauxhall Street, SE11, was sentenced to 13 years and six months in prison.
• Carlos Barbosa Arias, 61, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
• Sebastian Camacho Lopez, 31, of Ferrybridge House, SE11, was sentenced to six years and seven months in prison.
• Jonny Delgado, 49, of Windsor Road, EN3, was additionally convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine which relates to running a drug line and being concerned in supplying cocaine which relates to supplying adulterants to a drugs chop house on Wickham Road, SE4, was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Following information received from the UK Border Force, the City of London Police identified an organised crime group believed responsible for the importation of cocaine.

The group was targeted by the City of London Police’s Serious Organised Crime Team, who searched a flat in Vauxhall, London, where they located the extraction laboratory. Concealed within bars of was, which were packaged for importation into the UK, was 3.51 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of £211,320.

On 9 October 2024, Lopez entered a property on Vauxhall Street, London with a bag suspected to contain cocaine, leaving a short while later empty handed.  He returned with Ramirez and Arias, all of them carrying what seemed to be a petrol can, bottles of water and other items in bags. Lopez left again.

Specialist officers from the City of London Police forced entry to the premises, where Ramirez and Arias were caught actively processing the cocaine within a homemade laboratory.

Arias acted as the chemist for the group, having come to the UK solely to share his knowledge of the extraction process, enabling future importations.

Inside the property, officers found a significant amount of cocaine in various stages of extraction, mixing agents, petrol and other chemicals used for processing.

The next day, Lopez was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply cocaine when he returned to the same address.

Delgado was arrested on 27 February 2025.

Detective Constable Matt Cooper, from the Serious Organised Crime Team at the City of London Police, said: “This was an extremely dangerous and highly sophisticated criminal operation, with a chemical extraction lab hidden in the heart of a residential area. The sheer volume of hazardous chemicals and equipment uncovered by our officers posed a very real risk to the public and could have had devastating consequences.

“City of London Police have specialist, highly experienced detectives who are relentless in targeting serious and organised criminals, who often believe they can operate with impunity. This investigation shows how we are disrupting drug supply networks, not just on our City streets, but nationally and internationally, as criminals attempt increasingly complex methods to move drugs across borders, including concealing them in everyday cosmetic products. 

“By dismantling this organised crime group, we have prevented a significant quantity of Class A cocaine from reaching the streets of London and beyond, protecting communities and saving lives.”

Other members of a linked OCG were previously convicted in November 2024 for their part in the supply network:

• Arjan Metliaj, 38, of Conifer Way, Swanley, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison. Metliaj was also sentenced to 18 months for possession of criminal property, which he is serving concurrently.

• Alina Telecan, 32, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to two years and four months. Telecan also pleaded guilty to possession of a false ID document and was given a 12-month sentence to run concurrently.

Metliaj was stopped in a car and found in possession of a 347.23 grams of vacuum-packed cut cocaine with a street-value of £35,000. On searching an address linked to him in Lewisham, the potential scale of the operation became apparent.

Telecan was found at the flat that was used to cut, mix and package cocaine, with significant seizures of equipment made to enable the preparation, movement and sale of the drugs.

Officers also found cut cocaine at the address with a street value of over £18,000 and 11.5 kilos of bulking agents were also seized.