A 22-year-old Northolt drug dealer has been found guilty for his role in a gang that smuggled nearly half a ton of cocaine into London with an estimated street value of up to £17 million.
Hussain Sakhi of Laughton Road, Northolt, was found guilty alongside two others of conspiracy to import and supply cocaine after a major operation by the Met’s Specialist Crime South team.
Sakhi was part of an operation that brought huge quantities of cocaine in from the Netherlands, using lorries to smuggle drugs into the UK and distribute them across the capital.
He stood trial at Kingston Crown Court along with Zaibaa Zahur, 21, from Uxbridge, and Bert De Jong, 59, from the Netherlands. All three were convicted on Monday (8 April 2025) after a four-week trial. A fourth member of the group, Justyn Morris, 23, from Slough, had already pleaded guilty last month (11 March 2025).
The gang’s downfall began on 16 July 2024, when officers watched a van – driven by Morris – collect three cardboard boxes from De Jong at an industrial estate in Norwich. The boxes, stuffed behind black cladding, contained 70kg of cocaine, with a street value of between £1.75million and £2.45million.
Later that day, Sakhi and Zahur visited the nearby holiday let where the Class A drugs had been stashed. Suspicious officers swooped and arrested them after uncovering incriminating phone messages linking them to the drop.
During the trial, jurors heard how the group had moved nearly 500kg of cocaine using this method, with Sakhi and Zahur acting as key distributors.
Detective Constable Leon Ure, of the Met’s Specialist Crime South team who led the investigation, said: “This has been a complex and lengthy investigation to dismantle a group supplying drugs across London. It has been part of a wider, proactive drug operation led by the Specialist Crime South team.
“This investigation shows the breadth of work the specialist crime unit deals with and I’d like to thank every officer who was involved in the case.
“Drug dealing has a huge impact on Londoners. It fuels further crime and impacts the heart of our communities. This group is an example of how we will investigate and hold offenders to account.”
The gang is due to be sentenced on 11 April 2025.
