Two brothers involved in a £8million cocaine smuggling ring have been jailed for more than 34 years.
Nicholas and Jonathan Lynn, 35, used encrypted messaging service Encrochat to communicate with accomplices bringing Class A drugs from Lithuania to the UK on HGV lorries.
Covert detectives watched as the organised crime group made 19 runs between May and August 2020.
Hundreds of hours of CCTV from Thurrock services on the M25 proved this was a meeting spot the Lynns’ gang used to hand over large amounts of cocaine destined for London.
Officers were able to analyse texts on the secret handsets, through usernames used by the Lynn brothers.
Nicholas, of Gildenhill Road, Swanley, was arrested in Kent in February 2021.
At Kingston Crown Court on Friday, he received 15 years and 3 months imprisonment for conspiracy to evade the prohibition on the importation of cocaine.
Jonathan, 41, of Heathcote Road, Epsom was detained in Fuengirola, Spain after a warrant was issued for his arrest in November 2022. He got 18 years and 8 months.
Ten other men were sentenced for their roles at an earlier date.
Detective Inspector Lydia Stephens, from the Metropolitan Police’s Specialist Crime South Unit, said: “This investigation is a powerful example of the extraordinary work undertaken by the Met’s highly skilled and dedicated detectives in order to identify, apprehend and prosecute organised criminals.
“We are committed to identifying and dismantling entire networks from the top down to stop the scourge of drug dealing and the associated crimes which impact our communities here in London.
“These vast quantities of cocaine were bound for our communities and I’m pleased we’ve taken them off the streets.
“Drugs and violence come hand in hand and we will continue to seek out perpetrators who wish to jeopardise the safety of Londoners.”
Detective Constable Leon Ure, who worked on the case, added: “The success of this case is down to a massive team effort across the Met, involving multiple units and officers coming together to help make sure this pipeline of Class A drugs to London was dismantled.
“Without everyone’s diligence, utmost professionalism and commitment to the job, we wouldn’t have been able to see such significant sentencings.
“We remain completely committed to keeping Londoners safe and removing dangerous criminals from the streets.”
