Billingsgate trader jailed over £20m cocaine plot

Four men, including a Billingsgate Market trader, have received prison sentences totalling more than 62 years for their roles in a conspiracy to import approximately 600 kilograms of cocaine. The drugs, with an estimated UK value exceeding £20 million, were to be concealed within frozen fish shipments originating from South America.

Scott Unwin, 52, who operated a legitimate fish business at the renowned London market, was jailed for 13 years. He was part of a group that planned to use his business to receive the illicit cargo. The Metropolitan Police stated the gang was 'operating on an industrial scale'.

Sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court

The sentencing took place at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, September 25. Samuel Tokeley, 57, from Alicante, Spain, and Nicholas Shilling, 63, from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, received the longest sentences, each being jailed for 22 years. Scott Richards, 51, from Wickford, Essex, was sentenced to 14 and a half years.

The operation, referred to by detectives as the “Fish Conspiracy”, was brought to light through the analysis of encrypted communications on the EncroChat platform. Although the group discussed payments, shipping logistics, and contacts in Ecuador responsible for sourcing the cocaine, the planned importation was ultimately prevented by law enforcement.

Recovered messages revealed discussions concerning the movement of cocaine, ketamine, significant sums of money, and cryptocurrency. The gang also planned to use legitimate businesses and established transport routes to disguise their criminal activities. The investigation also identified separate conspiracies involving industrial quantities of ketamine.

Detective Chief Inspector Dean Grafton, of the Met’s specialist crime unit, commented that the defendants believed encrypted platforms would shield them as they discussed large quantities of drugs, laundering criminal profits, and exploiting legitimate businesses. The Metropolitan Police collaborated with the National Crime Agency and international law enforcement partners on the investigation.