Seven men jailed after attempting to smuggle £62M worth of drugs into the UK
Cocaine was found on an inflatable boat on the River Itchen in Southampton
Seven men have been jailed for attempting to smuggle large quantities of cocaine into the UK, worth between £44-64 million at street value.
Officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) investigated and disrupted the criminal activities of Stephen Lawlor, Daniel Bowen, Stephen Lock, Reiss Stanley, Kieran Farrell, Sean Feenan and Thomas Walker, resulting in the group being sentenced at Winchester Crown Court last Friday (12/9).
The group received a combined sentence of over 92 years’ imprisonment, after attempting to smuggle cocaine from a container ship in the English Channel using a 13-metre rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB).
On the evening of 8 July 2024, police received a report of suspicious activity involving a RHIB and a van near a block of flats on the River Itchen in Southampton. Response officers intercepted the van fleeing the scene, driven by Reiss Stanley, and discovered approximately 150kg of cocaine inside. Further quantities were found on the RHIB, and in total, officers seized over 600kg of cocaine.
Following the seizure, an investigation was launched. Using data recovered from Stanley’s mobile phone, officers were able to identify and link the other individuals involved in the operation and identify their roles.
The offenders all pleaded guilty to all the charges against them.
The following offenders were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK, and one count of conspiracy to supply it. Their sentences are as follows:
Stephen Lawlor, aged 39, of Mayswood Road, Solihull, was sentenced to sixteen years and six months’ imprisonment.
Daniel Bowen, aged 41, of Stratford Road, Solihull, was sentenced to fifteen years’ imprisonment.
Stephen Lock, aged 42, of Fieldhouse Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to thirteen years and six months’ imprisonment.
Reiss Stanley, aged 30, of Gaydon Road, Solihull, was sentenced to ten years and eight months’ imprisonment.
Kieran Farrell, aged 30, of Tower Croft, Solihull, was sentenced to twelve years’ imprisonment. Farrell was also sentenced to an additional four months’ imprisonment for driving while disqualified, to be served concurrently. He was further disqualified from driving for a period of seven years.
The following offenders were each convicted of one count of conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK. Their sentences are as follows:
Sean Feenan, aged 43, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to ten years and two months’ imprisonment.
Thomas Walker, aged 33, of Abererch Road, Pwllheli, Gwynedd, was sentenced to fourteen years and three months’ imprisonment.
Lock, Stanley, Farrell and Walker were charged with the offences in July 2024, with Lawlor, Bowen and Feenan charged the following month.
Investigating officer DC Alastair Charnley, said: “These are significant sentences for seven individuals who showed no regard for the harm and devastation caused by cocaine, and were driven purely by the pursuit of profit.
“Cocaine remains one of the most destructive illegal drugs in the UK, contributing to thousands of deaths and driving violent crime that tears apart communities and lives.
“Working together with officers from Hampshire & IoW Constabulary, SEROCU stopped cocaine worth millions from arriving onto UK streets, and ensured that the group behind its importation faced justice.
“We’ll continue to work relentlessly with our partners to tackle this type of crime and protect our communities from the harm they cause.”