Darlington man jailed for role in £450m cocaine-in-cheese smuggling ring

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 16:11 · Archive

A Darlington man has been jailed for his part in a drugs network that smuggled 4.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in wheels of cheese worth £450 million.

Arran Gowans, 28, of Yarm Road, Darlington has been jailed for five years and 11 months for his role in a drugs conspiracy. He was one of 18 people involved in smuggling 4.5 tonnes of cocaine into the UK hidden inside wheels of cheese, worth more than £450 million.

The organised crime group imported 123,568 kilogrammes of cheese between December 2022 and April 2023. The consignments were transported as commercial freight into Dover, then to a legitimate distribution hub in Derby. From there, refrigerated trucks delivered shrink-wrapped pallets to industrial units in Huddersfield, Cleckheaton, Halifax and Blackburn. At these hubs, members of the gang unpacked the cocaine hidden within the cheese and repackaged it in cardboard boxes and bin liners for distribution across the north of England.

The investigation began after West Yorkshire Police seized cocaine and ecstasy worth £2 million from a car in Leeds in January 2023. This led officers to uncover the distribution network. By October 2023, 15 of the 18 gang members had been sentenced following what West Yorkshire Police described as their biggest drugs investigation.

How it is being reported

• Darlington crook jailed for part in £450m coke-in-cheese drugs peddling ringArran Gowans, from Darlington, has been caged for almost six years :: He was part of a West Yorkshire gang that concealed £450m drugs in blocks of cheeseTeessideLive · 30 Oct, 15:42
• Darlington man helped drugs network smuggle cocaine-stashed wheels of cheeseA Darlington member of a drugs network that smuggled 4.5 tonnes of cocaine hidden in wheels of cheese has been jailed.The Northern Echo · 30 Oct, 13:05

In this story: Arran Gowans · West Yorkshire Police · Darlington · Derby · Dover · Aiden McCullagh · Saleem Chaudhri · Ikraam Safdar

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log