Kent-based international drug traffickers have been handed substantial prison sentences after a significant haul of crystal meth, valued at £4.3 million, was intercepted en route to Australia.
Kevin Filkins, residing in Sevenoaks, and Robert Hamilton, from Orpington, have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in the illicit operation. Alongside them, Yvonne Stewart, aged 55 and hailing from Croydon, has also been incarcerated in connection with the crime.
The convictions come in the wake of the seizure of 24kg of crystal meth by Australian border force authorities and police, who traced the shipment back to its origin in the UK.
An extensive investigation, initiated in January of the previous year by the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), a collaboration between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Metropolitan Police, uncovered the intricate details of the drug trafficking operation.
Authorities determined that the drugs had been dispatched from Croydon on June 25, 2021. CCTV images captured Stewart, who was employed in the cargo sector at the time, overseeing the security inspection of the consignment.
The investigation revealed that Stewart, Filkins, and Hamilton collaborated to dispatch 24kg of methamphetamine to Australia. Filkins, in particular, was observed sending a package labelled ‘two glass Buddhas’ to New South Wales, Australia. However, upon inspection, the package was found to contain drugs, indicating Stewart’s failure to scrutinize the contents properly.
Phone records corroborated communication between Stewart and Hamilton, who, in turn, liaised with Filkins to orchestrate the illegal exportation of drugs with Stewart’s assistance as a corrupt insider.
Further evidence, including travel patterns and seized documentation, implicated the trio in previous drug shipments to Australia in June 2021.
During their trial at Croydon Crown Court on January 13, 2023, all three defendants were found guilty of their involvement in the drug trafficking scheme. They appeared before the same court on May 31 for sentencing.
Filkins, residing in Deerleap Lane, Knockholt, Sevenoaks, and Stewart, of York Road, South Croydon, were each handed 12-year prison terms. Hamilton, residing in Doveney Close, Orpington, received a sentence of 13 and a half years.
Detective Superintendent Callum Hughes, Senior Officer of the Australian Federal Police (AFP) in London, emphasized that these convictions should serve as a stark warning to criminals, highlighting the significant risk of lengthy imprisonment associated with such illicit activities.
Richard Smith, representing the OCP, reiterated the gravity of the organized crime group’s actions, emphasizing the collaborative effort between UK and Australian law enforcement agencies to dismantle the criminal supply chain and protect communities from the scourge of illegal drug trafficking.
