A FORMER Met Police drug squad detective and an ex-fireman are awaiting sentence for their part in an attempt to smuggle £200m worth of cocaine into Ireland.

Michael Daly, aged 49, of Beechway, Bexley, a former sergeant with the Met, changed his plea as his trial at Blackfriars Crown Court was about to start earlier this month, and admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Ex-fireman Alan Wells, aged 56, of Blenheim Road, Sidcup, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine.

But a third accused John Edney, aged 57, unemployed, of East Hill, South Darenth, denied a similar charge and was today (February 24) found not guilty following a trial.

Daly's younger brother Joe, aged 43, a builder of Sutherland Avenue, Welling, was one of four men jailed in Ireland in 2008 for their part in the attempt to smuggle the 1.5 tonnes of the Class A drug into the Irish Republic, following a trial at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The father-of-three was sentenced to 25 years in jail.

Convicted with him in Ireland were a business partner of Michael Daly, Martin Wanden, aged 47, a builder of Beech Avenue, Swanley, who was jailed for 30 years; Perry Wharrie, aged 50, a painter from Loughton, Essex, who was also jailed for 30 years and Gerard Hagan, unemployed, aged 25, from Liverpool, who pleaded guilty and was jailed for 10 years.

The 42-day 2008 trial in Cork, brought by Ireland's Garda Siorchana, involved 200 witnesses and a trail stretching across seven countries on three continents.

It featured false passports, aliases, GPS satellite locators, secure communications equipment and a series of hired properties and vehicles.

Sinking boat ended drug gang's plot

THE GANG was caught following a covert surveillance investigation into the illegal importation of cocaine, codenamed Operation Cromer, carried out by the Met's Serious and Organised Crime Command.

They had arranged to bring 1,554 kilos of cocaine with a 75 per cent purity from Barbados to Ireland on a catamaran called Lucky Day, which set sail on May 25, 2007.

On July 2, 2007, with Hagan onboard, the catamaran met a rigid inflatable boat carrying Wanden and Joe Daly, at a pre-arranged rendezvous point 30 miles off the southern coast of Ireland, where Hagan and the 62 bales of drugs were offloaded.

But their plans failed when the inflatable, fitted with engines too powerful for the boat which were accidently filled with petrol instead of diesel, began to sink in heavy seas on its way to the shore.

Michael Daly, Wells and Wharrie were waiting on the mainland at Mizen Head in West Cork.

When they realised the inflatable was in trouble, they launched another one with Michael Daly onboard, to try and save the drugs, but failed.

They then had to save themselves.

Hagan swam ashore and raised the alarm.

Michael Daly swam to an empty beach and escaped on a fake passport via the Rosslare ferry port.

Joe Daly swam back to the beach where the inflatables had been launched from and where Wharrie was still waiting.

Wharrie's jeep had been blocked by coastguard vehicles so the pair escaped on foot, but were eventually caught after hiding in a cattle shed for two days.

Wanden was rescued by the coastguard from the sea, where he had been clinging onto a bale of cocaine, and taken to hospital where he gave a false name.

Wells escaped before the rescue services arrived.

He was arrested at his home three weeks later, greeting police with: "All right mate, I've been expecting you."

Gang ringleader

MICHAEL DALY was said by the prosecution to have been "pivotal" to the success of the conspiracy and would have shared in its huge profits.

He was in overall charge of logistics for the drug smuggling operation and also had vital local knowledge of the southern coast of Ireland because his family lived there.

Wells admitted helping organise moorings for the sunken inflatable, for which he was paid £100,000.

But he claimed he thought the drugs were cannabis.

Ex-police officer turned criminal

DETECTIVE INSPECTOR Grant Johnson, from the Met's Serious and Organised Crime Command, said: "This was a gang of highly organised criminals, predominantly from the London area.

"However, their criminality had extended internationally.

"Driven by greed, their activities would no doubt have netted them large sums of money had it not been for law enforcement agencies, particularly our Irish colleagues, working in partnership to identify and convict those concerned."

He added: "Daly, one of the key ringleaders, was an ex-Met detective who, once leaving the service, clearly abused the knowledge and skills he gained as a police officer for criminal gain.

"We hope this shows that no matter who you are, or what job you do, if you commit the crime the consequences will follow."

Second drug smuggling operation

MICHAEL DALY is already serving an eight-year jail sentence for a second drug smuggling operation at Capel le Ferne near Dover.

Again the operation involved landing an inflatable, on a remote beach.

When police arrested Michael Daly on the beach at Capel-le-Ferne, in September 2007, he had two padlocks, which turned out to open a nearby storm drain, where officers found eight holdalls containing 200 kilos of a cocktail of cocaine, amphetamines and skunk cannabis with a street value of £4m.

He was sentenced in March last year after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs.

Two more men being hunted

TWO OTHER men are still be sought by police in connection with the Irish drug smuggling operation.

They are Lee Dryden, aged 46 and 5ft 11 ins tall, orginally from the Bermondsey area, and Robert Ferguson aged 47 and 5ft 7ins, through to be from the Peckham area.

Mr Johnson appealed for anyone who may know their whereabouts to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.