Three members of a drug smuggling network were convicted at Kingston Crown Court on Wednesday 3 April after attempting to import MDMA from France.

Together with the National Crime Agency (NCA), Met officers built a case against the criminal network showing the Class A drugs had been destined for the streets of south London and beyond.

Offences included conspiracy to import and supply the Class A drug MDMA. A fourth person already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import drugs to the UK.

Members of the criminal drug-smuggling network, clockwise from top-left: Sinan Baki, David Johnson, Caprice Thompson and Kevin Smith (Photo: Met Police)

The criminal group consisted of:

• Caprice Thompson, 46, from Brixton, found guilty of conspiracy to Import Class A drugs
• Sinan Baki, 49, from Clapham, who entered a guilty plea to supplying Class A drugs and found not guilty of conspiracy to Import Class A drugs.
• Kevin Smith, 37, from Portsmouth, who entered a guilty plea to misconduct in public office and found not guilty of conspiracy to Import Class A drugs.
• David Johnson, 51, also from Clapham, previously pleaded guilty to all charges including conspiracy to Import Class A drugs.

All four will be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on 7 June 2024.

Detective Inspector Lydia Stephens of the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command said:

"These individuals were heavily involved in the large-scale supply of Class A drugs in London that severely impacts our communities, drives violence and can lead to vulnerable people and children being criminally exploited across the city.

"Apprehending them successfully is the result of months of hard work and dedication on the part of a team of highly skilled Met detectives, supported by colleagues from the National Crime Agency and Border Force.

"We are committed to bringing organised crime groups to justice and making London safer."

The court heard officers established that Smith – a UK Border Force officer in Portsmouth who was responsible for searching vehicles and checking passports – was working with the criminal network.

Both Border Force and NCA worked in tandem to piece together the overwhelming evidence against him.

Data-based investigations helped find phone evidence and show how the group were organising drug deliveries using routes from France.

Detectives downloaded hundreds of messages across multiple encrypted apps creating a timeline to show the different drop off points in south London, mainly near Brixton and Clapham. 

Cooperation with ferry companies and car rental units helped reveal the actual routes being used to bring the drugs directly into the area.

Thompson was arrested by officers on 26 August in a rental car on the way back to London from the port of Portsmouth where that day, Smith had allowed her to pass through a Border Force booth. When she was arrested, the car was searched and 15kg of MDMA were found in the boot with a street value of £400,000. 

Met officers arrested Baki and Johnson on the same night where further significant quantities of drugs were found hidden in their addresses and vehicles, including behind the steering wheel of Baki's car.

Dave Rock from the NCA's Anti-Corruption Unit said: "Tackling insider threat at the border is a priority for the NCA and our partners because it threatens the security of the public.

"Kevin Smith sought to use his privileged access and knowledge of systems and processes to aid this crime group who were able to bring large amounts of class A into the UK unchecked."

He added: "This operation demonstrated co-operation in action with the NCA, MPS and Border Force anti-corruption officers working together to prevent these drugs reaching the criminal market."