East Sussex man jailed following discovery of '£10 million worth of drugs'

Benjamin Holt, 43, of Horam, has been jailed for 13 years and two months after he admitted conspiracy to supply a class A drug, according to Staffordshire Police.

It comes after the force’s regional organised crime unit (ROCU) discovered a meeting taking place between two men in Sutton earlier this year.

A spokesperson for the police force said: “These men were Adam Vorster, 41, of no fixed address, and Mohamoud Mahamoud, 29, of West Drayton, Greater London.

“Mahamoud got out a white Peugeot Partner van and spoke to Vorster, who was next to a silver Honda CRV. Mahamoud then got a black holdall bag out the boot of the van, which looked heavy. He put it in the boot of the Honda.

“Holt was sat in the driver’s seat of the Honda at the time.

“ROCU officers then moved in and detained all three of them in the act.

"They found 21 kilogram blocks of cocaine in the holdall bag Mahamoud had been carrying, believed to be worth a street value up to £2,100,000.

“Three more holdall bags were found in the back of the van, along with two further bags, which contained 81 kilogram blocks of cocaine, worth around £8,100,000.”

The estimated wholesale value of the drugs is believed to be between £2,346,000 and £3,570,000, with a street value up to £10,200,000, according to Staffordshire Police.

The spokesperson continued: “The amount of drugs seized suggests the trio were involved in one of the top-end cocaine supplies operating across the UK.

"Now, through proactive action, this network has been significantly disrupted and a vast amount of class A drugs taken off the streets.”

All three men appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (November 1) where they were sentenced.

Vorster was given a sentence of nine years and three months after he also admitted conspiracy to supply a class A drug, Staffordshire Police said. Mahamoud was jailed for seven years and six months after he pleaded guilty to the same offence.