The hidden compartment was concealed within a partition wall of the van
(Picture: Metropolitan Police)An east London locksmith was caught with 15 kilos of class A drugs in the back of his van after his elaborate double life of crime came crashing down.
Alex Guest, of Boleyn Way in Ilford, went to great lengths to hide the cocaine - estimated to have a street value of £1.5 million in his work van.
When his vehicle was stopped and searched on the M11, officers discovered a hidden compartment concealed within a partition wall of the van where the drugs were kept in a holdall bag.
It was operated by hydraulic arms, behind locksmith cutting equipment used as a disguise and police also found several mobile phones, as well as electronic scales and a sophisticated encrypted communications device, known as EncroChat.
Guest was sentenced to 11 years and three months behind bars at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Tuesday, after admitting his offences at the same court last year.
Detective Constable Russell McIntyre, of the Metropolitan Police, said: “Guest was part of an organised network importing large amounts of cocaine into the UK, almost routinely.
“Using his legitimate locksmith business as cover, he thought he could conceal his involvement by using an elaborate hide - he failed.
“This investigation is an example of great team work which led to us taking a huge quantity of harmful class A drugs off the streets of London.
“Drugs blight communities and ruin lives and we will continue to robustly target those responsible for bringing them into the capital.”
When detectives searched Guest’s home, they recovered more than £129,000 in cash, as well as two hydraulic press machines at another address linked to the drug dealer.
During his police interview, he answered no comment to all of the questions put to him.
