Three south London men and a woman from Portsmouth are set to be sentenced after police uncovered a drug network ferrying Class A drugs from France to the UK.

The investigation led to four convictions relating to the import and supply of the Class A drug MDMA.

The offenders were convicted on April 3 at Kingston Crown Court. They include: Caprice Thompson, 46, of Hayter Road, Brixton, convicted for conspiracy to import Class A drugs.

Sinan Baki, 49, from Britannia Close, Clapham admitted to supplying Class A drugs.

Kevin Smith, 37, of Mayfield Road, Portsmouth, confessed to misconduct in public office.

David Johnson, 51, from Reed Place, Clapham had previously pleaded guilty to all charges including conspiracy to import Class A drugs.

The sentencing of all four is scheduled for June 7, 2024.

The drugs were intended to be sold in south London streets and farther afield.

Smith, a UK Border Force officer in Portsmouth tasked with searching vehicles and scrutinising passports, had been in cahoots with the criminal network.

Investigators had watched the routes used by the criminals, including Thompson, who had been lifting MDMA batches from France.

Police recovered hundreds of messages from assorted encrypted phone apps and were able to make a timeline of various drug drop-off points majorly around Brixton and Clapham.

Ferry companies and car rental enterprises were able to highlight specific routes used to smuggle the drugs straight into south London.

Thompson was arrested by police on August 26, following weeks of police cautiously monitoring her movements.

She was arrested while driving a rental vehicle from Portsmouth's port back to London.

That day, Smith had waved her through a Border Force booth.

Upon apprehending her, officers found 15kg of MDMA stashed in the boot of the car, with an estimated street worth of £400,000.

Both Baki and Johnson were arrested the same night, with additional significant drug quantities discovered concealed at their addresses and in their vehicles, such as in Baki’s car's steering wheel.

Detective Inspector Lydia Stephens of the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime Command said: “These individuals were heavily involved in the large-scale supply of Class A drugs in London that severely impacts our communities, drives violence and can lead to vulnerable people and children being criminally exploited across the city.

“Apprehending them successfully is the result of months of hard work and dedication on the part of a team of highly skilled Met detectives, supported by colleagues from the National Crime Agency and Border Force.

“We are committed to bringing organised crime groups to justice and making London safer.”

Dave Rock from the NCA’s Anti-Corruption Unit said: “Tackling insider threat at the border is a priority for the NCA and our partners because it threatens the security of the public.

“Kevin Smith sought to use his privileged access and knowledge of systems and processes to aid this crime group who were able to bring large amounts of class A into the UK unchecked."

“This operation demonstrated co-operation in action with the NCA, MPS and Border Force anti-corruption officers working together to prevent these drugs reaching the criminal market.”