Three jailed for more than 47 years after £80million cocaine haul uncovered in Northampton layby

Three people have been jailed for a combined 47 years and nine months after an £80million cocaine shipment was uncovered when a lorry driver stopped at a Northampton burger van.

The Metropolitan Police, in a statement released on Wednesday November 4, said 780kg of cocaine was recovered following an attempted theft from a container lorry in a layby on Lilliput Road on November 26, 2021.

According to a police spokesperson, the driver had stopped for a drink when witnesses spotted a grey Transit van pulling up behind his vehicle.

A group of men then broke into the container and began removing large, wrapped packages, but fled after bystanders noticed what was happening.

Northamptonshire Police were called to the scene and found seven holdalls containing cocaine inside the lorry, the Met said.

Officers located the Transit van within two hours and recovered another 11 holdalls, bringing the total seizure to 18.

The Met said the container had been sealed in Mexico on September 30 and was supposed to contain 29 pallets of steel furniture parts.

Specialist detectives took over the investigation and examined CCTV, financial records and phone data to reconstruct the group's movements.

Police said members of the group had arrived in Ipswich on November 12, the same day the shipment reached Felixstowe port.

They booked rooms at a budget hotel, hired a van and ordered takeaways while waiting for the opportunity to intercept the cargo.

According to investigators, the suspects followed the lorry when it left a haulage yard at 6.02am on November 26.

Travelling in a black Ford Mondeo, grey Vauxhall Astra and white BMW, they followed it approximately 125 miles to Northampton.

Police said Michael Weston sent his partner a message at 6.31am stating: “things are happening for me v soon”.

At about 8.20am, the lorry stopped near the burger van and the group moved in, blocking the vehicle before breaking into its container.

The Met said suspects subsequently switched cars, changed number plates and split up while attempting to evade detection. The Transit van was also falsely reported stolen.

Investigators examined devices after arrests and found that Weston had sent a friend a BBC report about the seizure, complaining he was “skint” for Christmas.

Craig Le-Mare, aged 36, of no fixed abode, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine at the Old Bailey on October 27, 2026.

He was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment on November 4.

Weston, aged 57, of no fixed abode, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 15, 2024.

He was sentenced to 12 years and nine months on May 22, 2026.

Kelly Robertson, aged 46, of Peregrine Close, Watford, admitted the same offence at Snaresbrook Crown Court on March 12, 2024.

She received a 15-year prison sentence on November 22, 2024.

The Met said Robertson was arrested in December 2023, while Le-Mare, who left the UK after the seizure, was arrested at Gatwick Airport in January 2025.

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.”

Assistant Chief Constable Emma James, of Northamptonshire Police, said the local force's initial response helped secure evidence and disrupt the operation.

She 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.”

Police said the case demonstrated how cooperation between forces helped bring the defendants before the courts.

The Met said its specialist officers spent two years piecing together the operation, using evidence gathered across the country to establish the defendants' involvement in the conspiracy.