The group of men who smuggled cannabis worth nearly £4.5 million from Ghana to south Essex in sacks of Gari powder were sentenced to a total of 26 years in prison.
After a National Crime Agency sting, border force personnel found the narcotics haul inside a shipping container at Tilbury Docks.
On October 18, 2024, all four men were condemned at Southwark Crown Court.
Edward Adjei, 48, of London Road, Grays, received a four-year prison sentence, while Daniel Yeboah received a five-year sentence.
Kwaku Bonsu, 52, left the area before being sentenced, and Kristoffen Baidoo, 48, did not show up for the trial last month.
In their absence, both individuals were given sentences: Bonsu was given seven years and Baidoo was given ten.
Work is ongoing to locate the pair and return them to custody to serve their sentences.
NCA senior investigating officer Saju Sasikumar said:
“These men used their international contacts to import a huge amount of cannabis into the country.
“Its onward supply in the UK would have had a catastrophic impact on our communities, fuelling violence and exploitation through county lines drug dealing.
“Today’s result demonstrates the NCA’s commitment to targeting organised criminals operating at the top of the drug supply chain and ensuring they are put before the courts.”
A container carrying 2,335 packages of herbal cannabis weighing 1.5 tonnes was discovered at South Essex docks in December 2019. The drugs were estimated to be worth around £4.3 million.
The men, who realized the drugs were missing, fled the site in different cars. The drugs were seized from the sacks and replaced with dummy packages before being delivered to north London on January 13, 2020.
The men were arrested after realizing the drugs were missing. Baidoo, who had rented a yard under a fake name, was arrested for his plan to deliver the drugs. Bonsu, who had made multiple payments to a shipping company for the container, was also arrested. The shipping container and Gari sacks were discovered by NCA officers.
