Orpington Man’s £4.3m Crystal Meth Plot Busted – Appeal Rejected
A 53-year-old man from Orpington has seen his appeal knocked back after being caught up in a £4.3 million crystal meth smuggling plot to Australia.
Inside Job Exposed: Croydon Insider Caught on CCTV
Robert Hamilton teamed up with Kevin Filkins, 54, from Sevenoaks, and Yvonne Stewart, 55, from Croydon, to ship the drugs from London to New South Wales. The operation collapsed when Australian Border Force seized 24 kilograms of crystal meth upon arrival.
CCTV footage revealed Stewart, a corrupt insider working in cargo security, inspecting the suspicious package on June 25, 2021. The package – falsely labelled as “two glass Buddhas” – contained nothing but pure crystal meth.
High-Profile Convictions and Jail Time
The trio was convicted at Croydon Crown Court of fraudulently evading export prohibitions. Filkins and Stewart were each handed 12-year prison terms, while Hamilton received 12 years and six months behind bars.
All three sought to overturn their convictions but had their appeals rejected on July 11. Lord Justice Elis dismissed their challenges, describing their claims as focusing on “relatively minor” judicial decisions and confirming the convictions were “wholly safe.”
Phone Evidence and Stolen Passports Tie the Trio Together
- Phone records showed Hamilton acted as the middleman between Filkins and Stewart.
- The gang had sent two other drug shipments to Australia in June, using stolen passports as false identities.
- One stolen passport was found during a search of Filkins’ home.
The crackdown highlights how inside corruption and identity theft are exploited to smuggle massive drug shipments overseas. Authorities remain vigilant to bring such criminal networks to justice.
