AN ORGANISED drug ring that operated in Heathrow has been busted by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

The gang used a corrupt baggage handler in order to smuggle millions of pounds worth of drugs through the airport.

Preetam Mungrah, 43, of Thornton Heath, London, and Wilfred Owusu, 30, of Stoke Newington, London, conspired with baggage handler Joysen Jhurry, 40, to smuggle a quantity of cocaine worth £9 million into the UK. Mungrah and Owusu were found guilty on Thursday, October 5, following an eight week trial at Kingston Crown Court. Jhurry pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

NCA officers observed Jhurry arranging to move suitcases containing the drugs off a flight from Brazil, and placing them on baggage carousels for domestic flights. For every flight carrying the illicit substances, Jhurry would be in phone contact with his accomplice Mungrah.

Owusu would then arrange for couriers, who would arrive from internal flights from other airports in the UK, to collect the bags, allowing them to leave without going through customs.

Two such couriers, Danovan Bull, 45, and Moses Awopetu, 38, were arrested on arrival and would later plead guilty to importing class A drugs.

In total cocaine weighing more than 100 kilos and cannabis weighing around 50 kilos was seized from the gang.

Three other men, Damion Goodhall, 30, of Tooting, London, Mark Agoro, 51, of Thurrock, Essex, and Aziz Abdul, 37, of no fixed abode, also pleaded guilty to being part of the conspiracy.

All of the men will be sentenced later in the year.

NCA's regional head of investigations, Brendan Foreman, said: “This was a sophisticated plot and at the centre of it was a man who used his privileged access to Heathrow and insider knowledge of the airport’s systems for criminal purposes.

“This kind of corruption threatens the security of the UK border and the public at large which is why the NCA and its partners are tackling it as a priority.

“Working with Border Force, Airport authorities, and the airline community we were able to stop this organised crime group in its tracks and pull together evidence which demonstrated their guilt to the jury.”