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Men jailed over plot to smuggle cocaine in cheese

On Friday, 15 men were jailed at Leeds Crown Court for their roles in the "largest criminal enterprise" dismantled by West Yorkshire Police, which smuggled 4.5 tonnes of cocaine worth more than £450 million into England hidden in cheese, chocolate spread, and fish mince.
The force launched the investigation after seizing £2 million worth of cocaine and ecstasy in Leeds during 2023, uncovering a sophisticated network that imported 123,568kg of cheese to Dover between December 2022 and April 2023.
Syndicate leader Saleem Chaudhri agreed to supply more than 2,000kg of cocaine worth over £70 million between September 2022 and May 2023, using so-called "cartel stamps" before switching to chocolate spread and fish mince after police raids.
Convicted conspirators have been jailed for a combined 196 years for distributing up to £1.4bn worth of cocaine, with the network relying on "lieutenants" like Lewis Ockenden to manage regional distribution hubs.
Det Insp Kevin Daly explained that tackling "sophisticated" gangs remains a constant challenge, noting "to a certain extent we take out one and another will try and repopulate" the criminal infrastructure.

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