Four men convicted of £4.5m drug haul at Heathrow Airport

THE final four in a gang of seven were found guilty yesterday (14 July 2010) for their roles in a £4.5 million drugs haul, involving corrupt baggage workers at London’s Heathrow Airport.

30-year-old Mark Oliver, 51-year-old Michael Hopkins, 31-year-old Malcolm Bax and 46-year-old Andrew Robinson were all found guilty of being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine, following a trial at Croydon Crown Court.

The four men, who were part of a drugs gang which hired baggage workers at Heathrow Airport to help smuggle 12kg of cocaine into the UK from Brazil, had denied the charge.

The other members of the gang, 53-year-old Anthony Rouse, 29-year-old Charles Oliver and 24-year-old Anthony Cenci had all previously pleaded guilty to the same charge, at Croydon Crown Court.

The convictions follow an intelligence led, multi agency operation, involving officers from the Metropolitan Police Service, Serious Organised Crime Agency, United Kingdom Border Agency and Her Majesties Revenue & Customs.

Officers from the MPS Middle Market Drugs Partnership (MMDP) tracked the gang over a number of months, which led to six of the men being arrested. During the arrests officers seized 12kg of cocaine, half of this was subsequently analysed and found to be around 99 per cent pure. The total 12kg seizure had an estimated street value of more than £4.5 million.

Detective Inspector Robert Boggon, from the MMDP, said:

"More than £4 million worth of cocaine, which was no doubt bound for London’s streets and beyond, has been removed from circulation. This result illustrates the fantastic liaison and cooperation between a number of agencies, to combat the importation of controlled drugs.

"We work tirelessly to keep drugs off the streets by bringing criminals like these to justice."

Rouse masterminded the crime in the UK, with the help of brothers Mark and Charles Oliver. Rouse employed the pair for their connections within a baggage handling company at Heathrow Airport.

The Oliver brothers introduced Rouse to Robinson, who had worked for a baggage handling company at Heathrow, until leaving in 2005. He still maintained his contacts, which was vital to organising the crime. The Olivers also recruited Hopkins, who was a close friend of the brothers to help organise the operation.

Robinson in turn knew Bax, who was a current supervisor and union rep at the baggage handling company. Bax recruited Cenci, a baggage worker from within his department, to pick up the drugs and transport them out of the airport.

The drugs were imported from Brazil on 27 September 2009 onboard a flight to London Heathrow. They had been placed in a large orange suitcase so that they could be easily spotted by Cenci on arrival.

Officers from MMDP had been conducting a protracted surveillance operation on the gang, tracking their activities for some months.

Cenci picked up the orange case as planned and left in a white van to deliver the drugs. Bax directed him by mobile telephone to Desford Way, near the airport, where Rouse was waiting.

SOCA officers had followed the two men and arrested Cenci at the scene. Rouse drove dangerously at an officer’s vehicle, shunting it out of the way to escape. He was arrested on 14 April 2010.

At the same time as Cenci was arrested, SOCA officers arrested Charles Oliver and Hopkins, who were acting as lookouts, close to where Cenci and Rouse had met.

Mark Oliver was arrested later the same evening by SOCA officers in Gordon Road, Ashford. Robinson and Bax were arrested the following day.

Officers from MMDP later searched Rouse’s home address in Addison Way, Uxbridge. They found two metal sieves with visible amounts of cocaine and drinking straws which also had traces of cocaine. After further analysis the cocaine was found to be more than 76 per cent pure.

All seven men will be sentenced at Croydon Crown Court at a later date.

Full details of defendants and charges;

Mark Oliver, unemployed of Poplar Road, Ashford, Kent;

Michael Hopkins, unemployed of Wessex Court, De Havilland Way, Stanwell, Staines;

Malcolm Bax, unemployed of Clandon Avenue, Egham, Surrey, and

Andrew Robinson supervisor and union representative at an airport baggage unit, of Worple Avenue, Staines, Middlesex, all pleaded not guilty at Croydon Crown Court on 24 May 2010 to being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine.

Anthony Rouse, unemployed of Sutcliffe House, Addison Way, Uxbridge, and Charles Oliver, unemployed, of Clare Road, Stanwell, Staines, Middlesex, pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court on 26 May 2010 to being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine.

Anthony Cenci, a baggage handler of Bower Way, Cippenham, Slough, pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court on 28 May 2010 to being knowingly concerned in the importation of cocaine.