DAGENHAM MAN JAILED FOR 13 YEARS OVER £20M COCAINE PLOT USING FROZEN FISH
A Dagenham man has been jailed for 13 years after being convicted of taking part in a plot to import around 600kg of cocaine from South America, with the drugs allegedly destined for the UK hidden inside frozen fish shipments.
Scott Unwin, 52, of Reede Road, Dagenham, was sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 25 September, after being convicted of conspiracy to import Class A drugs.
The planned cocaine shipment had an estimated UK value of more than £20 million, according to the Metropolitan Police.
However, the shipment never actually made it into the UK.
The case centred on what detectives called the “Fish Conspiracy”, in which Unwin, Samuel Tokeley and Nicholas Shilling planned to conceal approximately 600kg of cocaine inside frozen fish being shipped from South America.
Unwin’s legitimate fish business at Billingsgate Market was intended to be used to receive the shipment.
The conspiracy was uncovered during a long-running Met investigation which began in 2020 following intelligence obtained from the now dismantled encrypted communications platform EncroChat.
Messages recovered by investigators revealed discussions about the proposed cocaine shipment, including payments, shipping documentation, logistics and contacts in Ecuador who were involved in sourcing the drugs.
The communications also revealed discussions about cocaine, ketamine, cash and cryptocurrency, alongside plans to use legitimate businesses and transport routes to conceal criminal activity.
Unwin was also sentenced for conspiracy to acquire criminal property.
He was arrested in Dagenham on 31 August 2023, while another defendant, Scott Richards, was arrested in Colchester.
During the operation, officers seized cash, mobile phones and other assets believed to be connected to criminal activity.
The wider investigation involved international cooperation between the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency and law enforcement agencies overseas.
Unwin was sentenced alongside three other men involved in the organised crime network.
Samuel Tokeley, 57, of Alicante, Spain, was jailed for 22 years.
Nicholas Shilling, 63, of Dubai, was also jailed for 22 years.
Scott Richards, 51, of Wickford, Essex, was sentenced to 14 and a half years.
All four men received custodial sentences for conspiracy to import Class A drugs.
A fifth defendant, Nicky Bowers, was sentenced to 16 years in January after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to import Class B drugs and conspiracy to transfer criminal property.
Detectives said the investigation had exposed an organised crime network operating on an industrial scale.
Detective Chief Inspector Dean Grafton, from the Met’s Specialist Crime unit, said the defendants had believed encrypted communications would protect them while discussing large quantities of drugs, criminal profits and the use of legitimate businesses.
He said the investigation demonstrated the importance of analysing encrypted communications and working with national and international law enforcement partners.
The Met said the investigation had prevented the planned cocaine shipment from reaching the UK.
For Unwin, the consequences of his involvement have now resulted in a 13-year prison sentence.
The investigation was supported by the National Crime Agency and international law enforcement partners.
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