Channel cocaine smugglers jailed

Five men who were caught red-handed smuggling cocaine worth an estimated £1m across the Channel using speed boats have been jailed.

The gang, from Hampshire and south London, tried to smuggle the drugs from France to Hythe in Kent in September 2008 but were intercepted by police.

Four men admitted conspiring to supply class A controlled drugs in December 2008 and another was found guilty.

They were jailed for between eight and nine years at Canterbury Crown Court.

Kym Farid, 30, of Park View Crescent, Worcester Park, Sutton, and Harvon Davies, 24, of Oakfield Road, Croydon - both unemployed - were jailed for nine years.

Two brothers from Broomhill Road in Farnborough, Hampshire, pleaded guilty to the charge.

Glen Johnson, 32, was sentenced to nine years and Ronnie Johnson, 21, a floor fitter, was given eight years.

'Sophisticated operation'

Their cousin Josiah Johnson, 21, of Shelley Rise, Farnborough, Hampshire, was given nine years after being found guilty of conspiring to supply controlled drugs following a trial in March.

Sentencing the gang, Recorder Peter Morgan said it was a "sophisticated operation".

But he added: "You were caught red handed, some of you tried to escape by swimming into the sea."

Christopher Harding, mitigating for Glen Johnson, told the court the former professional fighter undertook the operation to pay off a loan after receiving threats of violence.

At around 0400 BST on 13 September 2008, Kent Police were called to Hythe beach after a rigid inflatable boat came ashore.

Glen Johnson was arrested while swimming in the sea and his brother Ronnie was found hiding behind rocks.

Josiah Johnson was found hiding in the water and Kym Farid was discovered running along the beach.

A car seen at the seafront when the boat landed was later found to contain 12 packages containing about 30lb (13kg) of cocaine with an estimated street value of £973,000 to £1.46m.

Glen Johnson already had 17 convictions for 86 offences including kidnap, false imprisonment and driving related offences, and had been picked up, with his brother Ronnie, by the French authorities during an aborted attempt the previous month.

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