Gang jailed for bid to bring £64m drugs across the Channel

A WEST Midlands drugs gang has been jailed for trying to smuggle £64 million worth of cocaine across the English Channel into the UK.

- NAOMI DESOUZA News Reporter

Stephen Lawlor, Daniel Bowen, Stephen Lock, Reiss Stanley, Kieran Farrell, Sean Feenan and Thomas Walker were all sentenced at Winchester Crown Court.

Five members of the ring lived in Solihull and Birmingham, the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) confirmed.

On July 8, 2024, police received a report of suspicious activity involving an inflatable boat and a van near a block of flats on the River Itchen in Southampton.

Officers intercepted the van fleeing the scene, driven by Reiss Stanley, and discovered approximately 150kg of cocaine inside.

Further quantities were found on the boat and in total, officers seized over 600kg of cocaine.

Using data recovered from Stanley’s mobile phone, officers were able to identify and link the other individuals involved in the operation and identify their roles.