Drugs were being transferred on a slip road off the Target Roundabout
Richard Johnson from Sheffield and Kamil Sokolowski, a Polish national
May 8, 2023
Two men have been jailed for over six years each after being caught red handed with a huge amount of cocaine.
47-year-old Richard Johnson from Sheffield and 33-year-old Kamil Sokolowski, a Polish national, were sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court on Friday, 5 May after it was hear how they were found in possession of 141 kilograms of the Class A drug.
The pair were arrested after being observed by police officers transferring a box of the drugs between a lorry and a van in a slip-road near to the Target Roundabout in Northolt shortly after midnight on 25 November 2022.
Another six boxes were found in the lorry, which had arrived in the UK through the Channel Tunnel around three hours earlier. The estimated street value is £14 million.
Johnson and Sokolowski attempted to run away but were chased by officers on foot and arrested nearby.
They were found to have been messaging on encrypted devices which they had used to arrange the handover. Johnson has travelled to London from the north of England.
Detective Constable Leon Ure, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said, "I am certain these drugs would have ended up in the hands of dangerous criminal gangs and would have resulted in violent crime and anti-social behaviour.
"These men thought they have covered their tracks by using an encrypted device and by meeting at a secluded location, however we still caught them, and I hope this acts as a warning to anyone else involved in transporting and selling drugs."
The cocaine in just one of the boxes seized. Picture: Met Police
The police ask you to report and information to the on the supply of drugs directly to them by calling 101, or contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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