Overview

• Ryan King, 38, received a 14-year term at Hull Crown Court today after pleading guilty to attempting to smuggle 72 kg of cocaine and 51 kg of heroin concealed in an air compressor at Killingholme Port.
• On August 1 at Teesside Crown Court, ten people pleaded guilty in Operation Box, with ring leader Jordan Stoker handed a 19-year sentence for organising mules to fly to Thailand for cannabis and cocaine imports.
• The North East Regional Organised Crime Unit recovered more than 1.3 tonnes of cannabis and over 30 kg of cocaine worth approximately £13 million during its year-long investigation.
• Investigations by NEROCU, the National Crime Agency and UK Border Force combined surveillance, forensic analysis and international travel monitoring to dismantle hierarchical smuggling networks.
• Sentencing remarks emphasised the role of severe prison terms in deterring sophisticated concealment tactics that exploit air travel routes, safe houses and hidden machinery compartments.