Crime Boss Who Used Fake NHS Vans to Traffic Drugs Jailed

Gang used fake NHS 'patient transport' vans to flood £3M of drugs across UK

The group's leader was captured in Thailand after attempting to travel with a fake passport

Crime boss used fake NHS vans to move drugs across the UK

Ritesh Patel was extradited from Thailand and has now been jailed for 20 years

Crime boss who used fake NHS vans to traffic drugs jailed

Ritesh Patel was brought back to the UK from Thailand after being caught with a fake passport

Gang boss fled to Thailand after police infiltrated his £3m drugs operation

Ritesh Patel, 43, from Cardiff, led the group from Dubai and set up a commercial company to enable the use of a recovery truck and other vehicles to deliver drugs

Head of Organised Crime Group in Cardiff Jailed

The head of an Organised Crime Group (OCG) responsible for large-scale drug supply has been brough to justice following his extradition from Thailand. Ritesh Patel, 43, from Cathays, Cardiff, was sentenced to 20-years in prison at Newport Crown Court on March 16, 2026, for his role in an OCG responsible for supplying hundreds of kilograms