Drugs Bust: Three Face Jail After 24kg Class A Shipment Seized in Australia
The Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), combining the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Metropolitan Police, have cracked down on a deadly drugs gang. Yvonne Stewart, 51, from Croydon, Kevin Filkins, 52, of Sevenoaks, and Robert Hamilton, 51, from Orpington, were caught after a massive shipment of 24 kilogrammes of Class A drugs was seized Down Under.
How The Croydon Connection Unravelled
The Australian Border Force and Federal Police traced the haul back to the UK. The OCP’s investigation revealed the drugs were sent from Croydon on June 25, 2021. CCTV footage showed Stewart working in the cargo sector, overseeing security inspections — but she failed to spot that the drugs were not hidden inside the shipment.
Image captures also caught Filkins delivering a suspicious package labelled “two glass Buddhas” to New South Wales, Australia. Phone records revealed Stewart was on calls with Hamilton at crucial moments, and Hamilton was in touch with Filkins. Filkins himself was tracked travelling to the cargo centre on the day of the shipment, linking him firmly to the operation.
More Shipments and Stolen Identities
The gang wasn’t a one-hit wonder. OCP found Filkins, Stewart, and Hamilton teamed up to send two more shipments to Australia earlier that month, on June 2 and June 24, 2021. All three parcels were sent using stolen passports.
- Two shipments paid for with Filkins’ debit card.
- The other paid using a card linked to a stolen passport.
- Both the stolen card and one of the passports were found during a search of Filkins’ home.
April 2022 saw the trio arrested on suspicion of Class A drug exportation. At their Croydon Crown Court trial, all were found guilty on January 13, 2024.
More Charges and Coming Sentencing
Hamilton faced extra charges after police uncovered cannabis plants at his residence. He was found guilty of possessing and producing Class B drugs. All three will be sentenced on March 2, 2024.
“This group exploited Stewart’s insider knowledge of the cargo industry to smuggle illegal drugs to Australia,” said Richard Smith of the Organised Crime Partnership. “They assumed security checks would let their shipment slip through undetected.”
“Thanks to our work with the Australian Federal Police, this criminal supply chain has been dismantled. We remain focused on targeting Class A drug supplies driving violence and exploitation both in the UK and worldwide.”
Detective Sergeant Kristie Cressy, AFP liaison in London, added: “Our international network worked closely with the NCA to identify and stop this organised crime syndicate.”
“Intelligence from Operation Ironside in Australia exposed their illicit offshore drug shipments and helped us bring the gang to justice.”
