Gang jailed over £24.5m drug smuggling ring run from prison cell
Convicted people smuggler ran a nearly £25m drug operation from behind bars
A convicted people smuggler ran a multimillion-pound drug operation from his prison cell, importing almost a tonne of cocaine and ketamine into the UK.
Arturas Jusas, 38, used illicit mobile phones to coordinate the smuggling activity while serving a previous sentence.
He worked with other members of an organised crime gang to provide transport services for rival groups moving drugs from Europe into the UK.
Following a joint investigation by Sussex Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, and the National Crime Agency, several gang members were found guilty and jailed at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday, July 8.
Andrew Gudz, 39, from London was sentenced to 18 years. Ihor Korobets, 42, also from London received 16 years. Russell King, 63, from Royston in Essex, was jailed for 22 years. All were convicted of conspiracy to import Class A and B drugs.
Jusas admitted the charges and will be sentenced at a later date.
Detectives said the group used encrypted messages and elaborate concealment methods to try to evade detection. Officers seized more than £24 million worth of drugs, described as Sussex’s largest-ever haul of its kind.
Police said the gang’s operation was set up to fund luxury lifestyles and warned the trade in illegal drugs causes harm across communities. The investigation also highlighted the risks organised crime poses to vulnerable people, including those at risk of exploitation.
Detective Superintendent Tim Shaw said: “This operation disrupted and dismantled a national crime group. I have no doubt that society will be safer as a result of these convictions.”