Members of an organised crime group that smuggled £184 million worth of cocaine into the country in a shipment of bananas now face years behind bars.

Five men were convicted of offences after 2.3 tonnes of cocaine was intercepted in February 2021. 

The cocaine was hidden inside 41 pallets of bananas and had been imported from Turbo in Colombia. 

The bananas were destined for Agro Food Ltd, based at the Crispin Industrial Estate in Tottenham, a business of which which 39-year-old crime boss Petko Zhutev was the director. 

Armed police raided the industrial estate and made what the National Crime Agency (NCA) described as the one of the largest cocaine seizures made in the UK. 

The drugs had a variety of branded stamps on them corresponding to which organised crime group was going to sell them. 

The drugs were found at an industrial estate in TottenhamThe drugs were found at an industrial estate in Tottenham (Image: NCA) Gjergji Diko, 33, from West Beckton, and Bruno Kuci, 33, from Albania, pleaded guilty to drugs, firearms and ammunition offences at the Old Bailey in October 2021 and April 2023 respectively. 

The firearms charges related to a weapon and ammunition found at the industrial unit. 

Zhutev, 39, from Otley Road, Custom House, was cleared of firearm offences but pleaded guilty to drugs importation offences. 

Olsi Ebeja, 40, of Malta Street, Islington, and Erik Muci, 44, of Haynes Road in Hornchurch, were found guilty of conspiracy to import class A drugs. 

The cocaine was hidden in 41 pallets of bananasThe cocaine was hidden in 41 pallets of bananas (Image: NCA) The earlier convictions were covered by reporting restrictions that have now been lifted. 

John Coles, head of specialist operations at the NCA, said: “We work with partners at home and overseas to target organised criminals at the top of the chain and who pose the greatest risk to the UK, and the NCA is committed to disrupting their activities. 

“These men attempted to bring a huge amount of cocaine into the country - one of the largest hauls of its kind on UK soil – which was destined for crime groups across London and the wider UK, and the seizure stemmed from a thorough investigation by NCA and Met Police officers.” 

Det Supt Simon Moring, from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Central Specialist Crime Command, said: “This seizure would have been broken down into many millions of individual deals of cocaine. 

“This level of violence, mental and physical health problems and anti-social behaviour that would have ensued across London and the UK would have been significant."