Two brothers have been sentenced to more than 34 years in prison after being found guilty of conspiring to smuggle cocaine into the country.
Metropolitan Police specialists spent three years dismantling a major drug trafficking operation, utilizing extensive CCTV footage, and decoding encrypted software used by criminals to coordinate drug imports.
Their investigation revealed that the organized group carried out 19 drug imports between May and August 2020, valued at £8,800,000.
The efforts of the Metropolitan Police led to the sentencing of 12 individuals, with ten already sentenced earlier, and the final two sentenced on April 19 at Kingston Crown Court.
Jonathan Lynn, aged 41, of Heathcote Road, Epsom, received a sentence of 18 years and 8 months.
Nicholas Lynn, aged 35, of Gildenhill Road, Swanley, and Temple Denny Road, Falkirk, was sentenced to 15 years and 3 months.
Officers gathered evidence to establish the Lynn brothers' involvement and pieced together CCTV footage from Thurrock services, demonstrating it as a meeting point used by the criminal gang for exchanging large quantities of drugs bound for London.
They also analysed communications on Encrochat, an encrypted platform historically used by criminal gangs, linking usernames to the Lynn brothers, and confirming their role in arranging the transport of Class A drugs from Lithuania into the UK via HGV lorries.
A drug expert witness further solidified the Lynn brothers' leadership role through detailed analysis of communications with accomplices.
With help from European authorities, Jonathan Lynn was apprehended in Fuengirola, Spain, following a warrant issued for his arrest in November 2022.
Nicholas Lynn had been previously arrested in Kent in February 2021.
Detective Inspector Lydia Stephens from the Met’s Specialist Crime South Unit said: “This investigation is a powerful example of the extraordinary work undertaken by the Met’s highly skilled and dedicated detectives in order to identify, apprehend and prosecute organised criminals.
“We are committed to identifying and dismantling entire networks from the top down to stop the scourge of drug dealing and the associated crimes which impact our communities here in London.
“These vast quantities of cocaine were bound for our communities and I’m pleased we’ve taken them off the streets. Drugs and violence come hand in hand and we will continue to seek out perpetrators who wish to jeopardise the safety of Londoners. ”
Detective Constable Leon Ure, who worked on the case, said: "The success of this case is down to a massive team effort across the Met, involving multiple units and officers coming together to help make sure this pipeline of Class A drugs to London was dismantled.
“Without everyone's diligence, utmost professionalism, and commitment to the job, we wouldn't have been able to see such significant sentencings.
“We remain completely committed to keeping Londoners safe and removing dangerous criminals from the streets."
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