Sussex Police bust £24.5m drug smuggling plot orchestrated from prison cell

ITV News

10-07-2025

A convicted people smuggler orchestrated the importation of millions of pounds worth of illegal drugs into the UK from his prison cell.
Arturas Jusas masterminded numerous operations totalling almost a tonne of cocaine and ketamine, using mobile phones to communicate with other members of the organised crime gang (OCG).
Together, they provided a transportation service for other OCGs looking to bring significant quantities of cocaine and ketamine into the UK from Europe.
But following an investigation by Sussex Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), working in partnership with Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU), and the National Crime Agency, Jusas and his associates were arrested, charged and convicted.
Andrew Gudz, Ihor Korobets and Russell King were sentenced to a total of 56 years' imprisonment at Lewes Crown Court on Tuesday 8 July.
Their sentences follow the successful convictions of several members of another OCG last year.
Acting on intelligence, police intercepted around 70kg of cocaine and 632kg of ketamine – with a combined estimated street value of £24.5 million – from two vans which were stopped on the A26 at Maresfield on 26 July, 2023.
The Class A and B substances, concealed in 30 cardboard boxes, had been shipped into the UK by lorry driver Pavel Budzko, who travelled into Newhaven port via ferry.
From there, it was arranged for the drugs to be transported into the back of two vans at a secluded location nearby.
The Ford Transit Connect was driven by Charlotte Moore. Stephen Norris was the passenger. The Vauxhall Combo was driven by Abdul Soohraby.
All three were arrested and remanded in custody. Budzko had evaded police, but was later arrested entering the UK again on 28 September, 2023. He was also remanded in custody.
In the meantime, officers conducted enquiries with the NCA, which revealed another overseas drugs run had been attempted by Moore and Norris in May 2023, just two months before their arrest.
The lorry driver on that occasion was Kiryl Laptseu, and the packages contained the DNA of Laptseu and Norris.
The suspects were subsequently charged and sentenced when they appeared before Lewes Crown Court on 27 June, 2024.
Norris, 36, and Moore, 32, both of Middleburg Street, Hull, were both charged with being concerned in the supply of 70kg cocaine and 632kg ketamine on 26 July, and fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on the importation of 107kg cocaine between 30 April and 7 May.
Norris was found guilty and was sentenced to a total of 10 years' imprisonment.
Moore was found guilty and was sentenced to a total of 13 year's imprisonment.
Budzko, 50, of no fixed address, was charged with fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on the importation of 70kg cocaine and 632kg ketamine on 26 July. He was found guilty by jury and sentenced to a total of nine years' imprisonment.
Laptseu, 42, of no fixed address, was charged with fraudulent evasion of the prohibition on the importation of 107kg cocaine. He was found guilty by jury and sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.
Soohraby, 53, of Exeter Drive, Sheffield, was charged with possession with intent to supply ketamine. He pleaded not guilty and was acquitted.
Evidence was recovered from the download of Moore's mobile phone, which included a thread of messages in a private WhatsApp group titled 'Unload 1'. The group appears to have been created specifically for the importation of the drugs on 26 July, 2023.
On 2 July, 2024, Gudz and Korobets were arrested after being identified as participants of the WhatsApp group. They were remanded in custody as enquiries continued.
Gudz was identified after a mobile phone was seized from him by Essex Police on 16 November 2023. He was arrested for money laundering after he was handed a bag containing nearly £20,000 in cash from another member of the OCG, King. It was established this was the phone used by him in the 'Unload 1' group.
Further analysis revealed another number which belonged to Jusas. While he was a silent participant in the chat, he was known to be the boss of the organised crime group and therefore played a key role in the operations.
Previously, on 21 December, 2021, Jusas was sentenced to nine years and nine months' imprisonment for conspiracy to traffic 69 illegal immigrants into the UK by boat. Around the time of the drugs importation, on 26 July, 2023, a number in the 'Unload 1' group was attributed to Jusas who was at HMP Highpoint in Suffolk, where he was serving his sentence. This supported his involvement in the operation.
King, Korobets and Jusas were also part of a corresponding WhatsApp group titled 'Loading'. This group was recovered from the download of King's mobile phone. King was identified as the person who met with Budzko to load the 30 boxes into the back of his lorry while in France, on 25 July, 2023 – a day before the drugs were seized in Maresfield.
King's mobile phone was seized from him when he was arrested on 24 August 2024, after he returned to the UK in his motorhome smuggling in 100 kilos of Ketamine.
Evidence from his mobile phone revealed conversations with Jusas around the organisation of the drugs being loaded onto the lorry, driven by Budzko. There was also several other chat threads named 'Load', 'Load Tonight' and 'Loading', indicating there had been several more importations.
The second part of the investigation therefore centred around the involvement of Gudz, Korobets and King, who all appeared before Lewes Crown Court (sitting at Hove) for trial which commenced on 8 April this year, as well as Jusas.
The following defendants were sentenced at the same court on Tuesday 8 July:
Gudz, 39, of Wards Wharf Approach, London, was found guilty by jury of conspiracy to import Class A drugs (cocaine) and conspiracy to import Class B drugs (ketamine), and sentenced to a total of 18 years' imprisonment.
Korobets, 42, of Wards Wharf Approach, London, was found guilty by jury of conspiracy to import Class A drugs (cocaine) Class B drugs (ketamine), and sentenced to a total of 16 years' imprisonment.
King, 63, previously of The Green, Royston, Essex, was found guilty by jury of conspiracy to import Class A drugs (cocaine) and sentenced to a total of 22 years' imprisonment.
Jusas, 38, previously of Wandsworth Road, London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import Class A drugs (cocaine) and conspiracy to import Class B drugs (ketamine), and is due to appear for sentencing at a later date, yet to be set.
Detective Constable Laura Pettitt of Sussex SOCU, said: 'Our investigations revealed that Jusas was able to organise this substantial importation of illegal drugs – the largest ever seizure of its kind in Sussex – from within the four walls of his prison cell.
'The messages recovered from this phone show that he was actively offering business to transport drugs into the UK through a series of networks which were designed to avoid detection. This included instructions on how to package the drugs so they could blend in with other legitimate packages and how to avoid being spotted at border control.
'The criminal activity was clearly designed to fund the lavish lifestyles of these organised crime gang members, from designer clothes and fragrances to high-end vehicles. But it was only a matter of time before we caught up with them.
'These significant sentences demonstrate that we will come after organised crime gangs and the individuals associated with them, no matter their position in the hierarchy, as we strive to protect the public from serious harm and bring offenders to justice.
'Illegal drugs cause harm and misery to those that become addicted to them and to their families and friends, often linked to other crimes being committed to fund their addiction. This in turn impacts our wider communities and affects us all as the cost to society remains high.
'The way these organised crime groups operate poses a significant risk to vulnerable and young people, who find themselves being dragged into the drugs world and potentially being exploited.'
Detective Superintendent Tim Shaw, Head of Serious and Organised Crime for Surrey and Sussex, added: 'This operation disrupted and dismantled a national OCG causing harm to the public in our counties.
'The supply of Class A drugs causes thousands of premature deaths, and also causes violent crime and brings weapons and fear into our communities. I have no doubt that society will be safer as a result of these convictions and significant sentences.'