Luke Oliver, 42, and his accomplice Matthew Anderson, 49, were jailed for a combined 14 years
A West London man who tried to smuggle 245kg of cannabis into the UK disguised as air-conditioning units has been jailed. Luke Oliver, 42, of The Coppice in West Drayton, conspired with Matthew Anderson, 49, from Worcestershire to import the Class B drug from Canada.
The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit began investigating the pair in July 2024 when Border Force officers found the huge crate of herbal cannabis which had been seized at Southampton Docks. It’s considered to have a street value of up to £3.3 million.
An investigation was launched and detectives were able to establish the pair used fake contact details of a legitimate air conditioning company as a cover for the shipment from Toronto to an address in Basildon, Essex.
The Regional Organised Crime Unit then uncovered a wider conspiracy linked to several further shipments totalling more than 11 tonnes of cannabis, potentially worth £55 million. Oliver’s role was to coordinate bank accounts linked to sham businesses, which were used to pay shipment and transportation costs to unsuspecting freight companies.
Accounts under his control were connected to three previous shipments, each using faked business names to arrange importation of the packages. After his arrest in September 2024, items seized from Oliver’s home included more than £50k in cash, high-value vehicles, cannabis and bank cards in the name of various companies.
His accomplice Anderson was arrested in August 2024 at his home in the West Midlands. A phone found during the arrest contained messages about the importation of two further deliveries of cannabis vapes worth a potential £8.78m with the shipment due to leave Canada just days later.
Other items found at his address during searches included £45k in cash, high value watches and gold bars worth £70k and boxes of cannabis vapes.
At Southampton Crown Court on Monday, September 15, Luke Oliver was jailed for seven years and six months, after admitting charges of conspiracy to import cannabis and possession of criminal property. Matthew Anderson, 49, of Prospect Road, Stourport-on-Severn, was jailed for six years and nine months, having pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to import cannabis.
The pair also worked with Anthony Phillips, who was used as a trusted courier to transport the packages across the country. Phillips, 43, of Nine Elms Close, Uxbridge, was previously given a six-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, after admitting a charge of being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
Detective Inspector Daniel Barker, from ERSOU, said: “Cannabis-related criminality is intrinsically linked to a wide variety of other offending across our communities, including county drugs lines and the exploitation of vulnerable people, which is why it’s vital to apprehend those responsible for its importation or production.
“These men went to great lengths in attempting to hide their illicit activity importing huge amounts of the drug into the country, and they now face extended periods behind bars as a result.
“ERSOU works closely with forces and partner agencies across the region to target those behind drug importation, and our teams will continue to make eastern England a hostile environment for criminals to operate in.”
Tim Kingsberry, Regional Director, Border Force said: “Border Force is committed to preventing dangerous drugs from crossing our borders and harming communities. We work around the clock to disrupt criminal gangs attempting to bring illegal substances into the UK.
“We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure criminals face the full consequences of their actions.”
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