A cocaine haul worth £80 million was recovered by police after the driver of the lorry it was hidden in stopped to buy a cup of tea from a roadside burger van.

Witnesses at the layby in Northampton then saw a grey Transit van pull up, before a group of men removed large, wrapped packages from the lorry before fleeing the scene.

The container was supposed to include 29 pallets of steel furniture parts. It had been sealed before it left Mexico in September 2021.

Instead, officers found seven holdalls containing cocaine inside the lorry.

Within two hours, Northamptonshire Police located the Transit van and recovered a further 11 holdalls containing drugs.

In total, 18 holdalls containing 78kg of the class A drug, with a street value of more than £80 million, were seized on 26 November 2021.

The discovery prompted a two-year investigation by specialist officers from the Metropolitan Police, who unravelled the gang’s movements.

Financial records showed the smugglers had arrived in Ipswich on the same day the shipment arrived at Felixstowe port on 12 November.

Kelly Robertson was arrested in December 2023 and Craig Le-Mare, who left the UK shortly after the drugs were seized, was arrested at Gatwick Airport on 25 January 2025.

On Wednesday, Le-Mare, 36, from Watford, was jailed at the Old Bailey for 20 years after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Michael Weston, 57, of no fixed abode, and Robertson, 46, from Watford, previously admitted their part in the plot and were jailed for 12 years and nine months, and 15 years, respectively.

At the conclusion of the case, Detective Inspector Dean Grafton, who led the Met investigation, said: “This investigation exposed an intricately planned operation, where the defendants hoped to make millions by selling cocaine across the UK.

“Officers worked for two years as they meticulously unravelled their operation, conclusively proving their role in the attempted heist.

“Drugs fuel criminality and rip families and communities apart. These sentences prove our relentless determination to pursue organised crime groups and put dangerous criminals in prison.”

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James, of Northamptonshire Police, said: “The discovery of this substantial quantity of cocaine in Northamptonshire led to a significant investigation which ultimately prevented dangerous drugs from reaching communities across the UK.

“While the Metropolitan Police led the subsequent investigation, the swift response by Northamptonshire Police officers at the outset helped secure crucial evidence and disrupt the criminal group’s plans.

“This investigation highlights the value of effective collaboration between policing partners. Working alongside colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Service, we helped ensure those responsible were identified, brought before the courts and held accountable for their actions.”

At the time the cocaine was uncovered, Northamptonshire Police said it was the force’s “biggest seizure of class A drugs”.

Sentencing Le-Mare, Judge Richard Marks KC said he had played a significant role in the multimillion-pound operation.

His “important but rather menial” task was to hang around in a vehicle and follow the lorry to ensure the drugs reached their destination, Judge Marks said.

The judge accepted the defendant had – by his own account – led an “aimless existence” and had been “bumming about”.

This persona did not fit with “being a leading player in a multimillion-pound conspiracy”.

However, he rejected Le-Mare’s claim to have been paid only £6,000 as “entirely fanciful”.