A Kingston man is among five people jailed for their roles in a major drug importation network.
Dawid Gasiewski, 32, from Kingston, was sentenced to 14 years and four months in prison as part of a Met Police investigation into an organised crime group responsible for bringing cocaine and heroin worth millions into the UK.
The group operated a large-scale operation that smuggled more than 300kg of cocaine and more than 60kg of heroin, with a total estimated wholesale value of almost £8 million.
The defendants were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on May 21.
Andrzej Walas, 48, from Slough was sentenced to 26 years in prison, Robert Francuz, 43, from Hemel Hempstead received 21 years, Jamie Allen, 29, from Birmingham was sentenced to 13 years, and Jagjit Singh, 30, from Birmingham was handed 10 years and six months.
Detective constable Leon Ure, from Specialist Crime South, said: "This case has centred on a criminal venture planned on a gigantic commercial scale which would have likely caused violence and destruction on our streets.
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"These offenders organised a significant drug line into London and the surrounding counties over a prolonged period of time.
"If people wonder why we are so relentless in going after those involved in drug supply, it’s because this criminality fuels violence and rips families and communities apart.
"We are very grateful to our partners for their assistance.
"Our coordinated response has resulted in the disruption of a major threat to public safety and has taken this group of criminals off our streets."
The gang used a sophisticated system involving legitimate haulage routes and "ghost warehouses" to transport drugs from mainland Europe.
Lorries arriving at UK ports would divert to covert storage sites, including locations in Slough and Daventry, where the drugs were secretly offloaded before the vehicles continued to their intended destinations.
Once unloaded, the drugs were repackaged and distributed to dealers.
The group relied on men flown in from Poland to assist with unloading and distribution, often using hire cars to deliver wholesale quantities to dealers.
The investigation began in July 2024 after officers observed a suspicious exchange of boxes between cars in Slough.
A subsequent stop by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit led to the seizure of five kilograms of cocaine and 25 kilograms of heroin, exposing the scale of the operation.
On August 6, the Met executed a warrant at a Slough warehouse linked to an HGV arriving from Europe.
Inside, officers found approximately 103 kilograms of cocaine and 37 kilograms of heroin.
CCTV and phone records indicated at least 10 similar importations between May and August 2024.
The drugs were offloaded, unpacked, and distributed using coded communications and pre-arranged collection points.
Despite the early disruption, the gang resumed operations in March 2025 at a new site in Daventry.
On April 7, officers identified a lorry from the Netherlands making an unexplained stop at the site.
The driver, Gasiewski, unloaded cargo into the warehouse before Singh arrived.
Police seized approximately 200 kilograms of cocaine at the scene, with an additional 100 kilograms found inside the warehouse.
Allen was arrested shortly after arriving, while Walas and Francuz were arrested the following day.
Analysis of communications and surveillance suggests the network was responsible for importing significantly larger quantities, potentially exceeding one tonne of Class A drugs.
Walas and Francuz were convicted of multiple offences related to drug importation.
Allen was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and failing to disclose protected information.
Gasiewski and Singh had previously pleaded guilty.
Several others connected to the group have already been sentenced for their involvement in the wider conspiracy.
The Met Police remains committed to targeting organised criminal networks involved in the supply of Class A drugs.
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