Four Ghanaians have been convicted of smuggling £4.5 million worth of cannabis concealed in sacks of Gari powder from Ghana to South Essex.
The drug shipment was uncovered by border force officers inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks, following a sting operation by the National Crime Agency.
Daniel Yeboah, 54, Kristoffen Baidoo, 48, and Kwaku Bonsu, 52, all from London, along with Edward Adjei, 48, from Grays, were found guilty by a jury on September 3 after a three-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.
The container arrived at South Essex docks from Ghana on December 19, 2019, and was held before being sent to London.
Intelligence from the National Crime Agency and the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission suggested the container contained drugs.
A search revealed 2,335 packages of herbal cannabis, totaling 1.5 tonnes, hidden inside white hessian sacks of Gari powder. The street value of the drugs was estimated at approximately £4.3 million.
The drugs were replaced with dummy packages, and on January 13, 2020, the container was transported to an industrial yard in north London under surveillance.
Yeboah signed for the delivery using a fake signature, and workers at the yard opened the container.
Bonsu was seen photographing the container, while Adjei dropped off Baidoo at the yard.
Upon realizing the drugs were missing, the men fled in different cars, leaving the site shortly after the container was opened.
All four men were arrested later that day: Yeboah and Adjei in Homerton, Baidoo in Stratford, and Bonsu in Edmonton.
Saju Sasikumar, senior investigating officer at the National Crime Agency, commended the international cooperation between the NCA and the Ghanaian Narcotics Control Commission.
He highlighted the importance of dismantling criminal operations to prevent the harm that such large drug shipments could cause, including exploitation through county lines and serious violence.
A 10-tonne hydraulic press, typically used for compressing drugs, was found at Baidoo’s address, and several devices, including mobile phones and dash cams, were seized.
Footage from Adjei’s dash cam captured calls to Baidoo and Yeboah discussing the missing drugs, while text messages and emails on Baidoo’s phone revealed plans to receive the drugs at the rented yard.
A bank account belonging to Bonsu showed multiple payments for the container’s delivery. All four men are scheduled for sentencing on October 18.
