Gang convicted after using aircraft to drop cocaine in English countryside
The operation was uncovered after police seized £4.2 million worth of drugs, cash, and aviation equipment linked to the group
Last updated 26th Feb 2025
A criminal network that used a small aircraft to smuggle cocaine into the UK by dropping packages in the Dorset countryside has been convicted. The operation was uncovered after police seized £4.2 million worth of drugs, cash, and aviation equipment linked to the group.
The organised crime group, based on the Hertfordshire and Essex border, arranged for flights from Cherbourg, France, with pilots disabling transponders to avoid detection. Parcels of cocaine were jettisoned mid-air and collected by members of the gang, who had previously scouted drop locations in Dorset.
Tomas Bauza, 44, of Colson Road, Loughton, Rolandas Bauza, 47, also of Colson Road, Martynas Piecia, 37, of Holst Lane, Thaxted, and Arjan Lisaj, 33, of Barrells Down Road, Bishop’s Stortford, were arrested in September 2024. Police detained Lisaj, Piecia, and Rolandas Bauza near a drop site in Spellbrook, Hertfordshire, recovering £37,000 in cash, two kilogram-sized blocks of cocaine at a car wash linked to the gang, and a phone discarded in a stream. A simultaneous raid at the Bauza brothers' home in Loughton led to Tomas Bauza’s arrest and the discovery of 54kg of cocaine in the loft, along with evidence of a cannabis factory.
Detectives from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) also found aviation equipment, a piece of drug packaging carrying Tomas Bauza’s fingerprints, and a video on Piecia’s phone showing him handling a cocaine package.
All four men were charged with being concerned in the importation and supply of controlled drugs. Lisaj and Piecia admitted the offences, while Rolandas Bauza pleaded guilty before trial. Tomas Bauza was convicted after trial but was found not guilty of the importation charge.
Detective Inspector Daniel Barker from ERSOU said: “This group put significant effort into bringing class A drugs into the UK and went to great lengths to hide their activity. However, our investigation uncovered vast amounts of evidence implicating each member, and we were able to stop a large quantity of cocaine reaching our communities.”
All four are due to be sentenced at St Albans Crown Court on Monday, 4 August.