Gang jailed after £66m worth of cocaine and heroin found in Hull
Footage shows the huge stash of class A drugs hidden in farm equipment and trailers at King George Docks
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| Julian Solomon, David Reece and Frank Eaton have been jailed. Pic: GMP
A gang of men have been jailed after police uncovered £66m worth of cocaine and heroin in one of the biggest drug busts in British history.
Police released footage showing the huge stash of class A substances hidden in farm equipment and trailers after it was found at King George Docks in Hull.
Eight men were involved in a "sophisticated international distribution network" which would see vast amounts of drugs make their way from Belgium to the UK, via the Netherlands, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
Officers seized 58kg of cocaine and almost 84kg of heroin, with a combined street value of more than £66.5m, making it the highest value drug seizure ever made by the force.
Seven of the men were jailed at Preston Crown Court in March after being convicted of drug conspiracy charges.
An eighth man, Frank Eaton, was jailed at Burnley Crown Court on Friday for 17 years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin.
GMP said the gang's operation would see drugs end up in a location in Derbyshire operated by Eaton and David Reece.
The two men, who had both previously served prison time in Belgium on drugs importation charges, were in charge of organising its distribution to regional crime bosses.
In the northwest, Julian Solomon was responsible for arranging, collecting and delivering the cocaine and heroin supply, along with his associates Graham Rawling, Gerrard Young and James Newhall.
After police seized the drugs in Hull in May 2017, the gang suspected their international associates had ripped them off.
Eaton, Solomon and their associate Jason Starmer flew to Belgium the following day for an emergency meeting, police said.
On his return to the UK, Solomon was arrested and remanded into custody at HMP Forest Bank where he was visited on 26 May 2017 by Starmer and Rawling.
The following day Starmer was watched by police having a panicked meeting with Rawling and Newhall at a pub car park near Ormskirk, where they exchanged phones and papers.
Starmer was then arrested near St Helens and found to have thousands of pounds in cash and a kilogram of cocaine in his car.
A firearm and ammunition were found when his home was searched, along with large quantities of cash.
Eaton, who did not return to the UK following the crisis meeting, was arrested in Belgium and extradited to the UK while the trial of the other seven men was on-going.
The convicted men are:
:: Frank Eaton, 47, of Ashbourne pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
:: Julian Solomon, 37, of Hale was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
:: Jason Starmer, 42, pleaded guilty part way through his trial to conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to 21 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm prior to being sentenced.
:: David Reece, 55, of Nottinghamshire, was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
:: Everton Bailey, 57, of Derbyshire, was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine and heroin and was sentenced to 16 years in prison.
:: Graham Rawling, 58, of Southport, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and was found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin following a trial. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
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