A LONDON-BASED drug smuggling ring has been sentenced after importing 1,500 kilos of cannabis into the UK from Ghana, concealed in sacks of cassava flour. Daniel Yeboah, 54, Kristoffen Baidoo, 48, Kwaku Bonsu, 52, all from London, and Edward Adjei, 48, from Grays, were found guilty following an investigation that uncovered the drugs inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks, Essex.
Yeboah was sentenced to five years and Adjei to four years at Southwark Crown Court in London. However, Baidoo and Bonsu remain on the run after failing to appear for their trial. They were sentenced in absentia to ten and seven years, respectively. Authorities are actively working to apprehend them.
The smuggling operation
The cannabis was found on December 19, 2019, when a container arriving at Tilbury Docks was searched by UK Border Force officials after a tip-off from Ghanaian authorities. Hidden inside sacks of gari powder (cassava granules), officers discovered 2,335 packages of herbal cannabis, with a street value estimated at £4.3 million.
Following the discovery, the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) detectives replaced the drugs with dummy packages and tracked the shipment. The container was later transported to an industrial yard in north London in January 2020. Yeboah signed for it under a false alias, while Bonsu was observed taking photographs inside the container. Adjei was seen dropping Baidoo off at the yard.
Upon opening the container, the gang quickly realised the cannabis was missing and fled the scene in separate vehicles. All four were arrested later that day.
Key evidence and sentencing
During the investigation, a 10-tonne hydraulic press, often used for compressing drugs, was found at Baidoo’s residence. Phone calls recorded on Adjei’s dash cam captured conversations in which he expressed suspicions to Yeboah, warning him to ‘be a little watchful’ and calling the situation ‘a little dodgy.’ Later calls revealed Yeboah discussing the missing drugs, stating: ‘I don’t think the food [drugs] is in it,’ and that ‘the people are thieves.’
Text messages and emails from Baidoo’s mobile phone also exposed his involvement in arranging the delivery of the drugs, with evidence showing he had rented the yard under a fake name to conceal his identity.
Organised crime impact
Saju Sasikumar, Senior Investigating Officer at the NCA, condemned the gang’s actions, stating, ‘These men used their international connections to smuggle a large amount of cannabis into the country. Its distribution would have had a devastating impact on communities across the UK, fuelling violence and exploitation through county lines drug dealing.’
Sasikumar emphasised that the NCA remains committed to tracking down organised criminals like Baidoo and Bonsu, who remain fugitives. The agency continues its efforts to bring them to justice and ensure they serve their sentences.
Ongoing search for fugitives
Despite the successful sentencing of Yeboah and Adjei, the hunt for Baidoo and Bonsu is ongoing. Authorities urge anyone with information regarding their whereabouts to come forward as they work to bring all involved in the smuggling operation to justice.
This case highlights the significant role that international cooperation and law enforcement play in disrupting organised crime, particularly in preventing drugs from entering the UK and causing harm to local communities.
