Six people have been jailed after colossal amounts of crystal meth and high-strength cannabis were smuggled into Nottinghamshire from America.
The gang associates have been convicted of importing the Class A and B drugs into the UK on an industrial and unprecedented scale, with leaders of the drugs cartel collecting hundreds of thousands of pounds on a monthly basis.
Nottingham Crown Court heard the organised crime group’s multi-million pound drugs operation was uncovered following a parcel interception at Stansted Airport in May 2023.
The package had been shipped from America and had a label that described it as a weight loss shake. But when examined by Border Force officials, the parcel was found to contain 900g of methamphetamine – also called crystal meth – and 2kg of cannabis.
Further parcels linked to the case were soon discovered, sparking a major investigation by Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit that resulted in detectives seizing the largest haul of crystal meth in the force’s history.
More than £7million worth of the stimulant drug was discovered and seized during the 18-month probe – the largest-ever quantity of crystal meth seized by Nottinghamshire Police.
Approximately £70,000 worth of cannabis was also seized during the investigation, which was codenamed Operation Continental.
Ringleader Davante James flaunted his ill-gotten gains
As detectives unearthed the full scale of the enterprise, it was established the drugs gang had smuggled additional parcels into the UK, weighing 67kg in total. While the contents are not known, the court heard they were likely to have contained further significant quantities of crystal meth and cannabis.
The investigation found the criminal gang launched their drugs enterprise by identifying addresses suitable to be used as recipients of drug shipments.
The criminal associates would then abuse their relationships, friendships and trust to dupe the occupants of addresses into accepting parcels, which they believed to be for a legitimate purpose.
The drugs shipments would be disguised in shipping labels as a weight loss powder, furniture, clothing and motorcycle helmets.
Once the parcels were delivered the contents were decanted and sold throughout Nottinghamshire and other parts of the UK.
This resulted in the drugs gang leaders collecting hundreds of thousands of pounds on a monthly basis, with the ill-gotten gains used to fund luxury holidays and trips to places such as Thailand, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Central America and the Greek Islands.
The gang members also spent large sums on designer clothing – including a pair of £1,200 trainers – and high-value watches.
However they will now spend many years in prison after Nottinghamshire Police worked closely with the United States Department of Homeland Security and the US Embassy to bring the criminal enterprise to a crushing end.
Faced with overwhelming evidence, nine defendants entered guilty pleas at Nottingham Crown Court on 24 January. They were sentenced earlier today (7 May 2025). They include:
Davante James, aged 29, of Edingley Avenue, Sherwood, Nottingham
Role: Leader of the criminal gang. The boxing coach directed the collection of cash and distribution of drugs. He also recruited associates to seek addresses within Nottingham to ship drugs to.
Pleaded guilty to playing a significant role in the importation of a Class A drug (methamphetamine) into Nottinghamshire and conspiring to import a Class B drug (cannabis).
Sentence: Jailed for 17 years.
Rakeem Thomas, aged 28, formerly of Weightman Avenue, Gedling
Role: Heavily involved in the running of the operation, including decanting drugs from parcels and distributing them.
Pleaded guilty to playing a significant role in the importation of a Class A drug (methamphetamine) into Nottinghamshire and conspiring to import a Class B drug (cannabis).
Sentence: Jailed for 11 years and 6 months.
Jesse Kolo, aged 30, of Birdbrook Close, Dagenham
Role: Office manager who abused his access to his employer’s courier account to create false shipping labels that disguised the contents of parcels.
Pleaded guilty to playing a significant role in the exportation of Class A drugs (2.5kgs cocaine) to Australia.
Sentence: Jailed for 5 years and 4 months.
Lemar Taylor, aged 32, of Sherwin Walk, St Ann’s, Nottingham
Role: Trusted associate who was in regular contact with occupants of addresses used to store drug parcels. Helped decant drugs from the packages and distributed them to customers.
Pleaded guilty to importing a Class A drug (methamphetamine) and conspiring to import a Class B drug (cannabis).
Sentence: Jailed for 7 years and 6 months.
Kyiem Raymond, aged 27, of Melford Road, Bilborough, Nottingham
Role: A trusted member of the crime gang. Assisted with the collections and deliveries of packages imported into the UK.
Pleaded guilty to conspiring to import a Class B drug (cannabis).
Sentence: Jailed for 45 months.
Lavontie Cameron, aged 26, of Kelvedon Gardens, St Ann’s, Nottingham
Role: Assisted the criminal gang by meeting with parcel recipients. Evidence proved he attended key addresses in the case and was in contact with several of the co-accused on the days when parcels were delivered.
Pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug (cannabis).
Sentence: Jailed for 38 months.
Taisha Chalmers, aged 29, of Brayton Crescent, Basford, Nottingham
Role: Linked to at least three delivery addresses by providing address details to a co-defendant. Also received and moved drugs across Nottingham.
Pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug (cannabis).
Sentence: Handed an 18-month Community Order with a rehabilitation activity requirement.
Jabari Smith, aged 30, of Ballerat Crescent, Top Valley, Nottingham
Role: A gym instructor and personal trainer who was tasked with sourcing addresses for deliveries. Responsible for providing at least four addresses to the crime gang.
Pleaded guilty to being concerned in an arrangement which facilitated the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.
Sentence: Handed an 18-month Community Order including 80 hours of unpaid work.
Bryony Hajman, aged 25, of Church Road, Clipstone, Mansfield
Role: Allowed her address to be used to receive two shipments from the United States and passed them on to a co-defendant.
Pleaded guilty to being concerned in an arrangement which facilitated the acquisition, retention, use or control of criminal property.
Sentence: Handed an 18-month Community Order including 50 hours of unpaid work.
Following the sentencings, Detective Inspector Ian Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said:
“This has been an exhaustive investigation which has culminated in almost 50 years of prison sentences.
“This is a true testament the hard work and dedication by officers from a number of Nottinghamshire Police departments, not least the serious and organised crime division.
“Together with UK Border Force, we have wiped out an organised criminal group, preventing them from continuing to gain extreme profits.
“Drugs on this scale invariably lead to further criminality including violence and acquisitive crime so to seize this quantity of drugs and secure a plethora of convictions is an excellent result.
“All nine defendants entered guilty plea and that is testament to the exceptional work of the investigation team in unpicking this major drugs conspiracy and bringing each and every offender operating in this conspiracy to justice.
“Drugs trafficking encourages a culture of violence and addiction and today’s result sends a clear message to those who blight our communities in this way. Criminal gangs operating will not be tolerated and we will find you and we will prosecute you.
“We are now pursuing powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure that any property, cash or profits gained through this gang’s criminal activity are identified and seized.”
Monique Wrench, Border Force Director of UK operations, added:
“Border Force officers are dedicated to protecting the border and working to keep the public safe from harmful substances.
“We will continue to work closely with Nottinghamshire Police to stop illegal drugs from entering our communities and to bring those responsible to justice.”
A Proceeds of Crime hearing is due to take place in September. Such hearings determine the amount of money a convicted person must pay back from their criminal gains.
Six people have been jailed after colossal amounts of crystal meth and high-strength cannabis were smuggled into Nottinghamshire from America. Read More
