ELTHAM: Man jailed for role in £350m drug smuggling network

Robert Flook, of Eltham Park Gardens, Eltham, pleaded guilty at Isleworth Crown Court to being concerned in the supply of 8.1 tonnes of cannabis and attempting to smuggle 150 kilos of cocaine.

Flook’s appearance on February 25 followed a successful appeal last June against his conviction and a 26-year sentence following a trial for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.

The court heard how a police investigation led to eight tonnes of cannabis being seized in September 2006 with a street value of £28m.

The drugs seized at Felixstowe port had been concealed in a shipment of South African garden furniture.

A second seizure of 150 kilos of cocaine with a street value of £10.5m was made in South Africa. The drugs had been hidden in mirrors destined for the UK.

Flook was described as a key organiser of the drugs network, which began operating in 2001, shipping in similarly sized consignments undetected until the police investigation.

During his original trial, investigators estimated the network could have imported around £350m worth of drugs in total.

Flook ran two businesses, including Playaway Events, which had a branch in Belvedere and was used to import the furniture.

Detective Inspector Craig Turner, who led the Met Police operation, said: “Flook's conviction demonstrates our commitment to ensuring those who important highly illegal drugs will be brought to justice.

“This case was the result of months of work between law enforcement agencies in the UK and South Africa, and his re-sentence represents the substantial damage these drugs would have caused."

In 2007, two British men living in Johannesburg were found guilty in South Africa of dealing narcotic substances and were each sentenced to 30 years in jail.

They had been running the South African branches of Mr Flook’s businesses.