A Sussex dog breeder has been jailed along with two other men after they were caught red-handed with drugs worth £10 million.
Benjamin Holt, known as Ben, was sentenced to 13 years in prison for his role in a significant cocaine deal.
Holt, 43, a director of Highlands Kennels, of Highlands Farm House, Coggers Cross, Horam, Heathfield, was arrested in April at the wheel of a silver Honda CR-V.
Staffordshire Police said: “Three drug dealers who were caught with an estimated £10 million worth of drugs have been jailed for a collective 30 years.
“Officers from our regional organised crime unit (ROCU) made the discovery after they spotted a meeting between two men in Allman Road, Sutton Coldfield, on Wednesday 10 April this year.
“These men were Adam Vorster, 41, of no fixed address, and Mohamoud Mahamoud, 29, of West Drayton, Greater London.
“Mahamoud got out a white Peugeot Partner van and spoke to Vorster, who was next to a silver Honda CR-V.
“Mahamoud then got a black holdall bag out the boot of the van, which looked heavy. He put it in the boot of the Honda.
“Benjamin Holt, 43, of Horam, East Sussex, was sat in the driver’s seat of the Honda at the time.”
The police then moved in and arrested all three of them, having caught them in the act.
They found 21 blocks of cocaine, weighing 1kg each, in the holdall that Mahamoud had been carrying. They had a combined estimated street value of up to £2.1 million.
Three more holdalls were found in the back of the van, along with two further bags, which contained 81 blocks of cocaine, each weighing 1kg, and worth about £8.1 million in total.
Staffordshire Police said: “The estimated wholesale value of the drugs is believed to be between £2,346,000 and £3,570,000, with a street value up to £10,200,000.
“The amount of drugs seized suggests the trio were involved in one of the top-end cocaine supplies operating across the UK.
“Now, through proactive action, this network has been significantly disrupted and a vast amount of class A drugs taken off the streets.
“All three men appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (1 November) and were sentenced.
“Holt was jailed for 13 years and two months after he admitted conspiracy to supply a class A drug.
“Vorster was given a sentence of nine years and three months after he admitted the same offence.
“Mahamoud was jailed for seven years and six months after he pleaded guilty to the same offence.
“Activity like this is continuing each and every day across Staffordshire and neighbouring forces to target organised criminals who commit high-harm offences in our communities, including county lines drug distribution, illegal firearms activity, modern slavery and cyber-crime.”
