By Karim Hammam
Seven members of an international drug smuggling ring have been sentenced to prison for hiding 4.5 tonnes of cocaine inside wheels of Gouda cheese, West Yorkshire Police announced. The drugs, with a street value exceeding £450 million, were smuggled into the UK through Dover and distributed across northern England.
Operation Uncovered
The investigation began in 2023 when police seized £2 million worth of cocaine and ecstasy in Leeds, revealing a sophisticated distribution network. Detectives established that the organised crime group imported 123,568 kilograms of cheese into the UK between December 2022 and April 2023. Shipments entered via commercial freight at Dover before moving to a legitimate distribution hub in Derby.
Distribution Network
Refrigerated trucks transported shrink-wrapped pallets of cheese to industrial units in Huddersfield, Cleckheaton, Halifax, and Blackburn. At these premises, blocks of cocaine were extracted from the cheese wheels and repackaged for onward supply. Each cheese wheel contained two “bricks” of cocaine crudely concealed inside. A network of couriers from West Yorkshire, Lancashire, the West Midlands, and the North East collected supplies from these hubs.
Key Figures and Raids
Saleem Chaudhri, who managed a hub in Blackburn, was found with 217 kilograms of cocaine in May 2023 and later sentenced to 27 years and six months. After the raid, the network switched to hiding drugs in chocolate spread and frozen fish mince. Craig Goulding played a directing role, moving money between hubs and disposing of waste food.
Earlier Convictions
Aiden McCullagh, 58, and Craig Goulding, 39, each received 25-year sentences; Craig Asquith, 44, was jailed for ten years; Umar Farooq, 37, for 15 years; Lewis Ockenden, 36, for 13 years and four months; Ikraam Safdar, 44, for eight years and nine months; John Whittell, 43, for 12 years and nine months; and David Jackson, 48, for 14 years and four months.
Latest Sentences
This week, Harry Johnson and Darren Johnson received 16 and 15 years respectively; Jordan Miles, 32, was jailed for 12 years and eight months; Arran Gowans, 28, for five years and 11 months. On Friday, three couriers were sentenced: Brandon Eley, 31, to 10 years; Aaron McNally, 38, to 10 years and nine months; and Antony Etheridge, 70, to 18 months. Three other defendants await sentencing at a later date.
