BY JAMES SIMONS
An essex gang of five aspiring rich drug dealers have been caught trying to fill our streets with cannabis and cocaine.
The ambitious crooks from Loughton Theydon Bois, Ongar, and Hampshire, were all caught by Waltham forest cops during their money making journey from Holland to the UK six months ago.
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The temptation to smuggle drugs into the country is ever strong for many in the criminal world because most who actually take the step underplay the chances of getting caught.Sometimes the plan seems so smart while the loopholes in the plan is missed by all the supposed experts of the scheme.
45 year old Mark Howell, was among a five-strong gang behind the brave scheme to conceal cannabis in industrial tubes inside the carpets. The move which was seemingly planned carefully was actually exposed when surveillance officers acting under a tip off, found 60 grams of cocaine, 10 gramps of Ketamine and more than £10,000 any his home.
ENEMIES
Many drug dealers form enemies within their drug dealing community, with their territorial tendencies to confront rival dealers operating on their turf, and the longstanding culture of robbing other dealers believed to have plenty of ”food” or money in the homes from which drugs are dealt. Sometimes ex parters with grievances against some of them put them in the hotspot, whilst under cover police carefully and smartly trail them until they get their big catch so they can shout bingo, we got you!
Howell pleaded guilty to the possession of cannabis, with intent to supply a controlled Class A drug namely cocaine, and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug; namely Ketamine.
AMBITIOUS
The very ambitious five strong criminal gang were caught after detectives from Waltham Forest intercepted a lorry containing 350kg of skunk cannabis which had arrived from Holland in September 2015. The drugs had an estimated street value of £2m, and were found hidden in industrial pipes disguised within the carpet rolls.
Howell’s had four criminal accomplices with him, namely; Martin Henry Beckett, 42, from Theydon Bois, Essex, Lee Jones, 47, from Ongar, Jonathon Zac Euesden, 44, from Loughton, and Stuart Openshaw, 28, from Hampshire, all admitted a variety of drug offences. The five strong gang will be sentenced at a date yet to be fixed.
The drugs were found hidden in wrapped up carpets
