Orpington man jailed after cocaine found in banana shipment

Danny Smith, 32, of Berrylands in Orpington, was part of a gang responsible for importing and distributing huge quantities of cocaine. 

The cocaine was found in a container of bananas which arrived on a ship at the Port of Sheerness. 

The following night the gang came to the port and took the cocaine to a yard in Longfield for onward distribution across the UK. 

In October 2023 members of the gang from Kent, London, Cambridgeshire, Staffordshire, Manchester, Cleveland and Northumbria were arrested. 

Smith pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply and import class A drugs, on Tuesday (October 1) he was jailed for 16 years and eight months. 

Danny Smith (Image: Kent Police) Reece Jury, 36, from Queens Drive in Sevenoaks, and Amir Manouchehri, 34, from Hulme Hall Road in Manchester, pleaded guilty to the same offences as Smith. 

Jury was jailed for 13 years and four months while Manouchehri was jailed for 13 years and eight months. 

Nikki Fewsdale, 42, of Meadow Court in Norton, was found guilty of importing class A drugs and was jailed for 14 years.  

Christian Lee (left) and Nikki Fewsdale (right) (Image: Kent Police) Detective Sergeant Dean Sycamore said: “This was a long and complex investigation and there is no doubt this was a significant haul of drugs, which undoubtedly would have had a disruptive impact on the supply networks across Kent. 

“While we have been successful in taking a large amount of illegal drugs off the streets, we have also put significant drug dealers behind bars for a considerable length of time.” 

DS Sycamore said police will now do “everything in their power” to strip the perpetrators of of any assets gained as a result of their crimes. 

Other members of the gang include: 

• Addison Curtis, 37, of Westbrook Avenue in Margate pleaded guilty to money laundering. He given a two year sentence suspended for two years.  
• Christian Lee, 50, of Ravenna Road in Sunderland, was found guilty following a trial of conspiracy to supply and import class A drugs. He was jailed for 19 years.  
• Christopher Sharrock, 31, from Hawthorn Avenue in Wigan, was found guilty of importing class A drugs. He was jailed for 18 years.  
• A 34-year-old man from Manchester pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply and import class A drugs. He will be sentenced in November.