Gang jailed after drugs worth £90m smuggled in banana shipment

  • ITV News Meridian's John Ryall reports from Maidstone Crown Court

Members of a drugs gang have been sentenced to a total of 74 years in jail for plotting to smuggle £90 million worth of cocaine into the UK.

The group of seven men were arrested following a major National Crime Agency-led operation at the Port of Sheerness in Kent in December 2021.

The raid saw more than a hundred officers swoop on the gang as they attempted to recover the drugs from a container.

More than a tonne of cocaine was hidden inside a shipment of bananas which had arrived on a vessel from Costa Rica.

(Top: left to right) Kyle Davidson, Michael Turner, Joel McCaughey (Bottom: left to right) Danny Laird, Ian Woodward, Darren Laurie Credit: National Crime Agency

The shipment had been arranged by gang leaders Danny Laird, 41, from Hertfordshire, and Joel McCaughey, 34, from Manchester.

However, they were unaware that they had been the subject of a two-month surveillance operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA), who watched as a series of meetings took place at pubs, cafes and service stations to organise the importation and recovery of the drugs.

In late November 2021, McCaughey flew out to Costa Rica to oversee the loading of the cocaine into a container.

Text messages later found on his phone by the NCA showed he stood to make £400,000 from the venture.

  • CCTV showing "inside man" Sam Elphick opening the gate at the security checkpoint to allow other members of the gang entry in their vans

McCaughey arrived back in the country to lead four other members of the group as they attempted to recover the drugs.

They included Darren Laurie, 53, of no fixed abode, who had been working to train the others to use a forklift truck that they had specifically purchased to unload the cargo quickly.

In the early hours of 20 December 2021 the gang, driving two vans in convoy, were waved through a port security checkpoint by corrupt security guard Sam Elphick, 30, from Sheerness, Kent.

Elphick had been recruited by Laird.

Port security guard, Sam Elphick, acted as an “inside man” Credit: National Crime Agency

They then used the fork lift to access the container which were carrying the drugs.

At this point a cordon was put around the port, and armed officers from the NCA Armed Operations Unit and Kent Police moved in to make the arrests, detaining the five and Elphick.

A short time later Laird, who was on electronically tagged curfew for other unrelated offences, was arrested by the NCA at his home address in Buntingford.

Six men were charged with conspiring to import class A drugs, and all pleaded guilty, while Elphick pleaded guilty to participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

  • The moment of Elphick’s arrest by NCA in the security gatehouse

Sentencing the gang at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Catherine Moore said they stood to make substantial sums from a "highly sophisticated operation" that would have had a devastating effect on individuals and communities, fuelling further crime, had it succeeded.

McCaughey, of Whitworth Street West, Castlefield, Manchester, was sentenced to 13 years and four months.

Danny Laird, 41, of Spencer Close, Buntingford, Herts, was sentenced to 14 years and eight months.

Darren Laurie, 53, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 12 years and four months.

Michael Turner, 57, from Buntingford, Herts was sentenced to 11 years.

Kyle Davidson, 33, of Parker Drive, Buntingford, Herts, was sentenced to ten years.

Ian Woodward, 36, of Standon Road, Ware, Herts, was sentenced to 11 years and three months.

Elphick, 30, of Melody Close, Sheerness, Kent was sentenced to two years.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...