Three Men Jailed for 40 Years Over Eurotunnel Firearms and Drug Smuggling
Three crooks caught smuggling firearms and drugs through the Eurotunnel have been slammed with a combined 40-year jail sentence. The gang, operating between the UK and France, tried to flood Britain with deadly weapons and class A drugs.
Jail for Firearms and Drug Smugglers
At Woolwich Crown Court on 17 May, Kennedy Udo, 28, from Eltham, was sentenced to eight years and six months for conspiracy to supply drugs and dodging import laws. His mate, Michael Mgbedike, 22, from Orpington, got eight years for conspiring to supply class A drugs.
Emmanuel Okubote, 27, from Peckham, was already behind bars since 2018. He was hit with 23-and-a-half years for conspiracy to supply firearms, ammunition offences and class A drugs. He was the ringleader of the smuggling operation.
How They Got Caught
- On 12 August 2017, Border Force and the Met’s Trident gang unit nabbed two loaded firearms, ammo, and a silencer in Coquelles, France.
- The illegal stash was hidden in a car heading for Folkestone.
- Detectives then found 990 grams of pure cocaine tucked inside the vehicle’s roof cavity.
- Udo and Mgbedike were arrested on the spot and charged.
Links Across London and Beyond
Further probes revealed firearms hidden at addresses in Forest Hill and North London. Fingerprints and DNA connected Okubote to these weapons.
Investigators uncovered that the trio had run multiple smuggling trips via Eurotunnel to Amsterdam in summer 2017, importing banned guns and drugs on at least three occasions.
Okubote recruited people with little or no criminal past to carry out his dirty work.
Police Vow to Crack Down on Smugglers
“This conviction highlights the strong partnership between Trident, Border Force and the CPS against the UK’s most dangerous criminals,” said DC Sarah Smart of Trident.
“Okubote, Mgbedike and Udo tried to flood our streets with loaded guns and drugs, causing misery to communities. Our teamwork has undoubtedly saved lives.”
“The Metropolitan Police and other agencies remain committed to making the UK a hostile place for these criminals.”
