Kent men are arrested in a huge drug-trafficking operation in Australia

Three people who shipped crystal meth to Australia, where it is believed to be worth up to £4.3 million on the street, have been jailed. Yvonne Stewart, 55, from Croydon, and Kent men Kevin Filkins, 54, from Sevenoaks, and Robert Hamilton, 53, from Orpington, were convicted for their roles in a drug-trafficking operation in January 2023, following a Crime Squad investigation. OCP), a joint unit of the National Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police Service.

After 24 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine (methamphetamine) were seized in Australia, the country’s Border Force and Australian Federal Police determined that the shipment came from the UK. OCP investigators discovered the drugs were sent from Croydon on June 25, 2021, with CCTV footage identifying Stewart, who was working in the freight sector at the time.

Footage also captured a man, later identified as Filkins, sending a shipment labeled “two glass Buddhas” to New South Wales, Australia. Stewart was responsible for the security inspection of the item. The package contained nothing but drugs, which were not concealed, proving that Stewart had not checked the contents.

Phone records showed that at key moments, Stewart had been on the phone with Hamilton, who in turn had contacted Filkins. Hamilton acted as the middle man, putting Filkins in touch with Stewart, who could facilitate the export of drugs as a corrupt insider. Filkins’ phone and vehicle were found to have traveled from his home address to the vicinity of the freight center on the same morning.

OCP investigators also identified that Stewart, Filkins and Hamilton had previously sent two other shipments to Australia on June 2 and 24, 2021.

The named consignors for all three shipments were people whose passports were stolen. One of the shipments was paid for using a card registered to one of those people. This card, along with one of the stolen passports, was found in a search of Filkins’ home.

Filkins, Stewart and Hamilton were sentenced on 13 January 2023 after a trial at Croydon Crown Court. They were sentenced today, May 31, 2024, respectively to 12 years, 12 years and 13 years and six months today at the same court.

Richard Smith, from the Organized Crime Partnership, said: “This organized crime group sought to make huge profits by trafficking dangerous drugs into Australia. They used Stewart’s inside knowledge of the cargo industry to ensure their shipments made it overseas. We have worked closely with the Australian Federal Police to dismantle this criminal supply chain and protect the public in both countries from the impact of the illegal drug trade.”

Detective Superintendent Callum Hughes, the AFP’s senior officer in London, said: “This result should serve as a warning to those attempting to undertake this type of criminal activity; the risk of long punishment far outweighs the short-term benefits of your actions. The AFP through its officers based in London has an excellent relationship with UK law enforcement agencies such as the NCA and the chances of any group or individual being identified and prosecuted for this type of criminal behavior have never been higher. big.”