Norwich Cocaine Gang Busted with £400k Shipment
Two men from Norwich have been locked up after plotting to supply a massive haul of cocaine worth £400,000. Tyrone Ioannou, 30, and Thomas Lucas, 31, both faced Norwich Crown Court on 15 April 2021, having already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine in February 2020.
Jail Terms Handed Out
- Ioannou got nine years behind bars.
- Lucas was jailed for six years.
- The third man, Kenneth Baillie, 46, from Hethersett, landed four and a half years for importing drugs.
How the Drugs Were Snagged
Border Force officers in Essex spotted a suspicious package stuffed full of cocaine concealed among other goods. The deadly haul was sent to an address in Norwich’s Mile Cross area, triggering an investigation by Norfolk Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Department.
The package arrived at the Mile Cross spot at 10.05am on 12 February 2020. Baillie took delivery and passed it to Ioannou, who then handed it on to Lucas.
Police Strike and Arrest
Just hours later, police raided a Plumstead Road East property. Lucas was caught red-handed trying to flush white powder and packaging down the toilet at around 6.10pm.
Ioannou arranged for the cocaine to be sent to Mile Cross and instructed Baillie to deliver it to him,” Norfolk Police confirmed. “He then organised the handover with Lucas.”
All three men were arrested and now face serious time behind bars for their part in this huge drug smuggling operation.
