REVEALED: Conspiracy to smuggle heroin into UK through Northampton bakery unraveled by jilted whistleblower

Four men were sentenced to a combined total of 50 years imprisonment for conspiracy to import and supply Class A drugs at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (April 10).

Two Northampton men, Jason Chisholm, 42, and Robert Lovatt Jr, 39, were sentenced to four-and-half years and 15 years between them after around 40kg of heroin was seized from an industrial unit of a bakery in Moulton Park, Northampton, in August 2015.

His Honour Judge Michael Fowler said: "While society is trying to cure the problem of drug abuse in our towns, you are instead feeding the flames. And for what?

"I am sure the quantity and the purity of what you sought to import would have resulted in death at some stage."

Two men from the Netherlands, Johannes Woltering, 42, and Johannes Weber, 38, were also convicted for their leading part in supplying the drugs.

In July 2015, the gang imported a similar shipment of drugs to the same bakery unit in Northampton.

But arguments started inside the group when Chisholm told his cohorts that they could not use the bakery anymore and offered to find them another location to run the operation.

After this, Lovatt and the two Dutch offenders told Chisholm that they were not going to do business with him anymore.

A jilted Chisholm then called Northamptonshire Police and gave them the date, time and place of the £5million shipment hidden in the kitchen sink.

Judge Fowler, in sentencing Chisholm, said: "Without your actions, this conspiracy would never have been discovered by the police. Your intervention prevented the second delivery from reaching the streets. You have endangered yourself and affected your life in a very real and enduring way.

"Nevertheless, you willingly took part in the first delivery, which you at first did not tell the police about. Then, after you had contacted the police, you tried to warn your conspirators that they were coming.

"It's apparent from the evidence that you had an unrealistic expectation of what the police would do when you contacted them. You expected that without the other three you would be able to continue your involvement alone, a misconception born, I imagine, from watching too much television.

"You got involved with criminals far more sophisticated than you."

In sentencing Lovatt, Judge Fowler said: "You had a leading role in this conspiracy. Woltering brought his expertise in drugs supply and you brought your expertise in the criminal activity in Northamptonshire.

"You supplied these drugs to accrue excessive wealth that you failed to gain through legitimate means, and all to fund your own lavish lifestyle. This is shown when one of you was heard in a retail store after the first delivery boasting about your wealth and seeking to purchase a £35,000 watch.

"In the right hands, drugs can save our lives and control our pain. But in the wrong hands, they cause immeasurable damage to society, to families and to the lives of everyone affected."

Jason Chisolm was found guilty of conspiracy to import and supplying class A drugs. He was sentenced to four and a half years.

Robert Lovatt Jr pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply and import Class A drugs. He was sentenced to 15 years.

Robert Lovatt senior, aged 62, of Pembroke Gardens, Northampton, had been charged with conspiracy to import and supply drugs but was acquitted on both counts.

During the trial, Robert Lovatt senior maintained that he had agreed to give his son, Robert Lovatt junior, and Chisholm a lift. While at the bakery, he had collected some rolls and had simply helped load the pallet of kitchen worktops into the white van, but had nothing to do with what was inside it.

Johannes Weber, of Waspik, Holland, was found guilty of conspiracy to import and supply class A drugs. He was sentenced to 17 years.

Johannes Woltering, of Waspik, Holland, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply and import Class A drugs. He was sentenced to 16 years.

Detective Constable Ian Hollyoake from EMSOU, said: “These men exploited the premises of a law abiding local business to conduct their illicit trade.

“Our investigation showed it was not the first time this method had been used to ship large quantities of drugs to the UK, but rest assured, it was the last.

“This investigation means these Class A drugs, worth millions, will not make their way to our streets to cause untold damage to our communities, and these five men have been stopped in their criminal tracks and face a substantial amount of time in jail.”