London Drug Lords Busted Over £4 Million Cocaine Haul
Two men behind a massive class A drug ring in London have been slammed with heavy jail sentences after police cracked their encrypted EncroChat messages. Matthew Wraight, 37, and Mark Bannister, 47, used secret chats to run their multimillion-pound cocaine empire — but they got caught by a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police taskforce.
Encrypted Chats Reveal Brutal Plans
Wraight, from West Drayton and using the handle ‘Rokafella’, masterminded deals between April and June 2020. Bannister, a haulage firm owner known as ‘Goldbusiness’ and ‘Goldgame’, helped move the drugs in his lorry. Their EncroChat messages showed chilling threats to use violence against rivals. One read: “Mate we got to go and find this c*n*… It’s time to get physical.”
£4 Million Worth of Cocaine Supplied
The pair were linked to importing and distributing 120 kilos of cocaine over a few months, with a street value of around £4 million. Bannister used his 18-tonne lorry to pick up the huge loads. But on 15 May, he bailed on a 20-kilo pickup after fearing surveillance.
Heavy Sentences After Guilty Pleas
Both men admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and money laundering at Isleworth Crown Court on 22 July 2021. Wraight initially got 12 years, Bannister nine — but the Court of Appeal upgraded their sentences to 16 years 6 months and 12 years 9 months in December 2021, branding the original punishments “unduly lenient.”
Andrew Tickner from the Organised Crime Partnership said: “Wraight and Bannister were prepared to act violently to protect their despicable enterprise. This case shows the corrosive effect class A drugs have on our communities, with violence and intimidation driving the trade.”
Wraight was also nabbed for driving without a licence and being under the influence when arrested on 3 July 2020. At the time, police found his overnight bag and passport in the car— hinting he was ready to flee to Amsterdam or Germany.
This takedown highlights the power of police working together to smash organised crime and protect the public from deadly drugs flooding the streets.
