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ITV News
10-07-2025
- ITV News
Sussex Police bust £24.5m drug smuggling plot orchestrated from prison cell
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.'
Scottish Sun
03-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Chilling moment gunman in high-vis jacket shoots dead dad-of-3 outside gym ‘in revenge for exposing illicit jail affair'
THIS is the chilling moment a gunman wearing a high-vis jacket shoots dead a dad-of-three. A jury was shown CCTV footage revealing Lenny Scott's last moments before he was killed outside a Lancashire gym on February 8 last year. 8 CCTV recorded the brutal shooting 8 Footage shows the gunman waiting for Lenny to leave the gym, in Skelmersdale 8 Lenny was fatally shot in the head and body Credit: MEN Media The haunting clip shows the 33-year-old leaving the building, in Skelmersdale, at around 7.30pm. He walks out with four others, who make their way to a car parked outside. Ex-prison guard Lenny stays behind for a few moments chatting to his pal, as a man wearing a high-vis jacket advances in the back ground. The attacker briefly hangs back behind a car before approaching Lenny and calmly raising his gun. As the CCTV cuts off, six shots can be heard, and the gunman flees on an electric bike to a getaway van nearby. Prosecutors allege Elias Morgan, 35, of Edge Hill in Liverpool, was the shooter. They also argue Anthony Cleary, 29, was the getaway driver inside the white Vauxhall Combo - previously registered to a cleaning company run by Morgan's brother Ezra Morgan. The pair are both on trial for murder, which the prosecution argue was fuelled by revenge after Lenny exposed his affair with a female prison guard. Lenny had confiscated a phone which contained evidence of the lag's relationship with prison officer Sarah Williams. Alex Leach KC, prosecuting, told the jury evidence "presented a powerful image". "One in which Elias Morgan, driven by a desire for revenge and reliant on Anthony Cleary for his assistance, planned and executed the murder of Lenny Scott," he said. The court heard how before the horror, Mr Morgan had allegedly driven to Darfield estate, a site not too far from the murder scene. 8 Elias Morgan and co-defendant Anthony Cleary at Glastonbury Festival Credit: Lancashire Police 8 The gunman, alleged to me Mr Morgan approached Lenny as he stood beside a fellow gym-goer 8 Lenny was a much loved dad-of-three Credit: Lancashire Police He travelled there in a Mercedes GLC car which had previously been insured in his mother's name, the court heard. Mr Leach told the jury the car arrived at 5.48pm. CCTV revealed a figure walking from Darfield to nearby Daybrook estate, where the van had been parked about 40 minutes earlier. The jury heard at 6.06pm, footage showed the bike doing a "dry run" to the gym and back to the estate. The gunman returned to the car park at 6.48pm, where he waited for Lenny to exit the gym. The trial continues. 8 Lenny had exposed one of his alleged killer's affair with prison officer Sarah Williams Credit: Lynda Roughley
The Irish Sun
03-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Chilling moment gunman in high-vis jacket shoots dead dad-of-3 outside gym ‘in revenge for exposing illicit jail affair'
THIS is the chilling moment a gunman wearing a high-vis jacket shoots dead a dad-of-three. A jury was shown CCTV footage revealing Lenny Scott's last moments before he was killed outside a Lancashire gym on February 8 last year. Advertisement 8 CCTV recorded the brutal shooting 8 Footage shows the gunman waiting for Lenny to leave the gym, in Skelmersdale 8 Lenny was fatally shot in the head and body Credit: MEN Media The haunting clip shows the 33-year-old leaving the building, in Skelmersdale, at around 7.30pm. He walks out with four others, who make their way to a car parked outside. Ex-prison guard Lenny stays behind for a few moments chatting to his pal, as a man wearing a high-vis jacket advances in the back ground. The attacker briefly hangs back behind a car before approaching Lenny and calmly raising his gun. Advertisement Read More As the Prosecutors allege Elias Morgan, 35, of Edge Hill in Liverpool, was the shooter. They also argue Anthony Cleary, 29, was the getaway driver inside the white Vauxhall Combo - previously registered to a cleaning company run by Morgan's brother Ezra Morgan. The pair are both on trial for murder, which the prosecution argue was fuelled by revenge after Lenny exposed his affair with a female prison guard. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Lenny had confiscated a phone which contained evidence of the lag's relationship with prison officer Sarah Williams. Alex Leach KC, prosecuting, told the jury evidence "presented a powerful image". "One in which Elias Morgan, driven by a desire for revenge and reliant on Anthony Cleary for his assistance, planned and executed the murder of Lenny Scott," he said. The court heard how before the horror, Mr Morgan had allegedly driven to Darfield estate, a site not too far from the murder scene. Advertisement 8 Elias Morgan and co-defendant Anthony Cleary at Glastonbury Festival Credit: Lancashire Police 8 The gunman, alleged to me Mr Morgan approached Lenny as he stood beside a fellow gym-goer 8 Lenny was a much loved dad-of-three Credit: Lancashire Police He travelled there in a Mercedes GLC car which had previously been insured in his mother's name, the court heard. Advertisement Mr Leach told the jury the car arrived at 5.48pm. CCTV revealed a figure walking from Darfield to nearby Daybrook estate, where the van had been parked about 40 minutes earlier. The jury heard at 6.06pm, footage showed the bike doing a "dry run" to the gym and back to the estate. The gunman returned to the car park at 6.48pm, where he waited for Lenny to exit the gym. Advertisement The trial continues. 8 Lenny had exposed one of his alleged killer's affair with prison officer Sarah Williams Credit: Lynda Roughley 8 The pair have both denied murder Credit: Lancashire Police
ITV News
25-06-2025
- ITV News
Court sees footage of moment that prison officer was shot and fatally injured at gym in Skelmersdale
A jury has been shown footage of the moment a prison officer was ambushed and shot outside a gym in Skelmersdale. Father-of-three Lenny Scott suffered fatal injuries when he was shot on Peel Road in Skelmersdale on February 8 2024. Elias Morgan and Anthony Cleary are on trial at Preston Crown Court accused of his murder. Opening the case yesterday prosecutor Alex Leach, KC, told the jury Mr. Scott had been 'murdered as an act of retaliation' after he exposed an illicit relationship between convict Morgan and one of his prisoner officer colleagues. The nine men and four women on the jury heard that after failing to convince Mr Scott not to report the phone to his superiors, Morgan told him 'I'll bide my time, but I promise I will get you' before making a gun gesture. Almost four years after Mr Scott found the phone, he was shot six times by a gunman wearing a high-visibility jacket and carrying a handgun. The gunman, who approached on foot, later escaped the area riding an electric motorbike. Addressing the court, Mr Leach played the jury CCTV footage of the moment Mr Scott was shot outside the gym. The footage showed the gunman waiting in the car park before approaching Mr Scott and discharging a number of shots before fleeing from the scene. Two members of Mr Scott's family, sitting in the public gallery dabbed at their eyes when the footage was played. Mr Leach told the jury: "The evidence you are about to hear, when examined in detail, reveals a powerful image, one in which Elias Morgan, driven by a desire for revenge and reliant on Anthony Cleary for his assistance, planned and executed the murder of Lenny Scott. "Both men, the prosecution says, are guilty of his murder." The prosecution told the jury that on January 4 2024 Morgan carried out a 'day of reconnaissance, a day of planning, for the murder that was to follow'. The jury heard he visited three locations with an 'obvious connection to Lenny Scott', including his home address, a gym he formerly frequented in Speke, Liverpool, and the Peel House gym where he was later shot. The court heard Cleary, through his job as a car transporter driver, asked to use a low-loader truck to transport his friend's van to Skelmersdale. Shortly after 6pm on 7 February, he drove a Vauxhall Combo van, belonging to a cleaning business run by Morgan's brother Ezra, off the low-loader and left it on Daybrook in Skelmersdale. Mr Leach told the jury: "The prosecution says that Anthony Cleary had delivered the van to a location close enough to the intended scene of the shooting for the gunman who was to use it to access the electric motorbike that it contained, and ride to the Peel House Gym, using the ginnels that connected Daybrook to the Peel House estate. "Following the shooting, those ginnels would also provide a means of escaping the scene that could not be followed by other vehicles, allowing the gunman time to load the bike onto the van and to leave the area undetected." The court was told that Cleary also sent Morgan a link to a Google Map of the area around Peel Road, which was where Mr Scott was shot. Mr Leach said shortly after 4.30pm on the day of Mr Scott's death, Morgan drove his courtesy car, a Ford Focus, to his family home. Here, the prosecution said, he 'changed vehicles' and began using a Mercedes GLC, insured to his mother and used by him. Mr Leach said: "It was captured on CCTV from 4.59pm, leaving Highgate Street." Mr Leach told the jury that the Mercedes was captured that same day on Darfield in Skelmersdale, before a figure walked from the car to Daybrook, where the van had been parked. Between 6.06pm and 6.27pm, a person riding an electric motorbike was captured 'performing a dry run to the gym and back to Daybrook' and the location of the parked Mercedes, the court heard. Mr Leach told the court: "The footage is not sufficient to allow for an identification of Elias Morgan but, the prosecution says, when viewed against all of the surrounding evidence, the overwhelming inference is that Elias Morgan was the person riding that bike." Mr Leach said the Mercedes was later captured on CCTV being moved from Darfield to Denholme, saying: "The prosecution says that Elias Morgan was moving his Mercedes GLC out of the immediate vicinity, to a location where it could safely remain until he returned to collect it. "He did not intend to leave the scene in that Mercedes. Instead, the prosecution says, he left the scene in the van, into which he returned the electric motorbike, following the shooting." The court was told that Morgan and Cleary spoke on a WhatsApp call shortly after 11pm before the latter searched Google for "skem news now". He later accessed a tweet from 'SkemPolice' explaining the increased police presence, Mr Leach said. Cleary also accessed a YouTube video titled 'How to Check & Delete iPhone Location History'", while Morgan 'removed the SIM card for that number from his iPhone 12 mini handset and replaced it with a newly activated number', said Mr Leach. The Mercedes was later seen on 13 ebruary at Maghull Baptist Church, with CCTV capturing "the driver appearing to change the vehicle's number plates". The court heard the Mercedes' movements later showed it moving around south Liverpool, before its driver was "seen removing a bag from the boot of the vehicle and walking away" after parking on Ivydale Road in Mossley Hill. Mr Leach said it had been fitted with further false number plates. Morgan's fingerprints were found on both the front and rear plates and blood containing his DNA was also found on wiring that sat behind a control panel removed from the car and left on Queens Drive, the court heard. A search of Morgan's home address on Highgate Street found a charger for a Sur-Ron electric bike, while paperwork and a black jacket, consistent with that worn by the male seen moving the Mercedes, was found at a property used by him at Irwell Chambers in Liverpool City Centre, the jury was told. Mr Leach said: "In the communal area outside 43 Irwell Chambers were the keys for the Mercedes GLC, last used to lock the vehicle when it was left, for the final time, on Ivydale Road." Both Morgan and Cleary were charged with Mr Scott's murder in June 2024. Morgan, 35, of Highgate Street, and Cleary, 29, of Smithdown Lane, both deny murder. Cleary also denies a second count of manslaughter. The trial before Mr Justice Goose continues.
Powys County Times
23-06-2025
- Powys County Times
Drink driver banned for a second time following crash
A POWYS man knocked out and trapped in his vehicle after he crashed it after drinking with friends has been banned from the roads for a second time. Kelly Tompkins, 51, crashed his Vauxhall Combo van in Llanwnog, near Caersws, on the night of February 22 this year. He admitted drink driving when he appeared at Welshpool Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, June 17. Prosecutor Helen Tench said the single vehicle road traffic collision occurred on the B4568 at The Vicarage, Llanwnog, at around 10pm. 'Police had a call about a collision involving a white Vauxhall van, in which the driver was still trapped,' said Mrs Tench. 'The fire service were on the scene and the driver was trapped, but he managed to get himself out. 'Alcohol was smelt by officers and he was slurring his words and unsteady on his feet. The vehicle had rolled. He was taken to hospital. 'The defendant said he did not have much recollection of the crash and thought it was in a different place. 'He admitted driving and couldn't remember what he'd been drinking that evening.' Mrs Tench said Tompkins had a previous drink driving conviction from 2016. A reading showed Tompkins had 172 milligrams of alcohol in his blood – the legal limit is 80 micrograms. Acting for the defendant, of Llanwnog, Gurleen Kaur said: 'He was compliant with officers, he even thanked them during police interview, in which he was honest and held his hands up. 'He had been in with friends drinking. He said he wanted to get away and ended up driving, which was a big mistake. He is remorseful. 'He is in employment as a farm engineer, he manages hen sheds. This is secure, despite the loss of his licence, although it will limit his employment. It would impact out of hours issues.' Ms Kaur said Tompkins' niece was reliant on him financially and she said it would be 'incredibly difficult' for him to do any unpaid work due to being in full time employment, with the job being a very demanding one. She said he had no convictions since his 2016 drink driving offence and he would welcome a chance to complete a drink driving awareness course. Magistrates ordered a report and probation officer Carl Atkinson said: 'He says he has no memory of the event as he was knocked out. 'He takes full responsibility for his actions. This is his third offence, which are all related to alcohol, which poses concern." Magistrates disqualified Tompkins for three years but offered him the chance to reduce this by allowing him to undertake a drink driving rehabilitation course. He will be made the subject of a 12-month community order, which will include 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He was also fined £362 and must pay a £114 surcharge and £85 costs.
