Four men imprisoned for the supply of illegal drugs

Four members of an organised crime group and a criminal associate have been imprisoned today (Thursday 7 December 2023)  for their roles in the importation and distribution of huge quantities of cocaine and cannabis, at Stafford Crown Court.

Anthony Terry, 49, pleaded guilty to importing cocaine, a conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracies to import MDMA, cocaine and cannabis into the Republic of Ireland and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.

Michael Collis, 63, pleaded guilty to importing cocaine into the UK and the Republic of Ireland and was sentenced to 12 years and six months. Mohammed Omar Khan, 38, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment. Joshpal Singh Kothiria, 33, was convicted of conspiring to import cannabis into Ireland and was sentenced to three years.

Terry was providing a service to drug dealers located in the UK and Ireland. In return for significant payments made in cash he organised the

transport of controlled drugs on their behalf. In particular, multi kilogram loads of cocaine were collected in the Netherlands and imported into the UK. Once here they were either supplied to dealers in this country or re-exported into the Republic of Ireland and delivered there. Large quantities of cannabis were also collected in this country and similarly taken to Ireland. There was also an agreement to export MDMA (ecstasy) to Ireland.

Terry’s criminal enterprise was organised and controlled using an encrypted communications service called EncroChat, which he used to communicate with drug importers and the dealers who were his customers.

Collis was a close and trusted associate of Terry’s who worked as a driver. Messages between the two men were recovered when their phones were seized after arrest, which demonstrated that Collis had a clear understanding of the size and nature of the criminal venture he was part of. Collis regularly travelled to the Netherlands on behalf of Terry and collected large quantities of cocaine, which he brought back to the UK. He also travelled to Ireland to deliver the drugs there.

Khan was employed by a separate, linked organisation in Birmingham. He acted on instructions, received through an encrypted EncroChat device, to deliver large quantities of cocaine throughout the UK. One of his collection points was Wolverhampton, where he collected part of the cocaine load imported by Terry and Collis.

Kothiria was another courier engaged by Terry who was instructed to pick up multi-kilogram loads of cannabis from the UK and deliver them to Ireland.

Giorgina Venturella of the CPS said: “This investigation and prosecution stopped a large and organised criminal network in smuggling and distributing significant quantities of illegal drugs into the UK and Republic of Ireland. Terry was a facilitator and leader of this operation, directing Collis and Kothiria. The impact of this large-scale drugs trade on communities in terms of addiction and the resulting crime can be absolutely devastating.

“We will look to pursue confiscation proceedings against any ill-gotten gains defendants acquired from these crimes.”
 
The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to identify and prosecute all those that exploit and profit from the illegal drugs trade.