More than £1.5 million worth of drugs were hidden in Guest’s van (Credit: Met Police)
40 year-old Alex Guest, of Boleyn Way, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court yesterday (March 30).
He pleaded guilty to the drug offences and to possession of criminal property in June 2020.
Guest was arrested in April 2020 after police stopped his van on the M11 near Redbridge.
Officers searched the van and found a hidden compartment containing more than 15kg of cocaine, with a value of around £1.5million.
The compartment was concealed within a partition wall of the van and was operated by hydraulic arms, which was hidden behind locksmith cutting equipment.
Several mobile phones, electronic scales and a communications device were also found in the van.
Police searched Guest’s home and uncovered £129,000 in cash.
Detective Constable Russell McIntyre, the investigating officer from Specialist Crime, said, “Guest was part of an organised network importing large amounts of cocaine into the UK, almost routinely.
“Using his legitimate locksmith business as cover, he thought he could conceal his involvement by using an elaborate hide – he failed.
“Drugs blight communities and ruin lives and we will continue to robustly target those responsible for bringing them into the capital.”
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Tags: Redbridge, Ilford, Drugs, Crime
