Two Jailed After £7 Million Cocaine Helicopter Haul Busted
Two crooks linked to a high-flying drug gang have been slammed with a combined 25 years behind bars after smuggling £7 million worth of cocaine into the UK via helicopter. The Met’s Organised Crime Command cracked the case wide open in a major takedown.
Helicopter Used to Fly in £7 Million of Coke from Europe
Belgian national Federic Fagnoul masterminded a daring import route in June 2017, flying up to 50kg of Class A cocaine per flight from Europe to Lydd airport in Kent. Using the cover story that he’d been night fishing, Fagnoul landed his chopper at hotel helipads before the drugs were distributed by car across the UK.
Police swooped on 12 September 2017, seizing the helicopter and uncovering a secret hide under the seats stuffed with cocaine bags.
Co-Conspirators Nabbed in Big Drug Bust
- John Bolter was caught in Bromley driving a Nissan Qashqai with 20kg of coke stashed in a hidden boot compartment. Along with a highly encrypted phone, this evidence saw him jailed for seven-and-a-half years after pleading guilty.
- Dean Francis was arrested after being spotted collecting drugs from Fagnoul in Kent. He also admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and awaits sentencing.
Sentencing and Investigation Praise
At Southwark Crown Court on 23 April, Fagnoul, 50, from Belgium, received a hefty 17 years and six months for conspiracy to import and supply Class A drugs. Bolter, 36, of Tooting, got seven years and six months. Francis, 37, of Lewisham, faces sentencing shortly.
The National Crime Agency backed the Met’s probe. Detective Chief Superintendent Mick Gallagher hailed it as “an outstanding investigation” targeting a European-to-UK drugs network.
“Detailed detective work identified the significant roles these defendants played in supplying millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK,” Gallagher said. “The Organised Crime Command will relentlessly pursue those involved in the supply of Class A drugs.”
