A DRUG kingpin who orchestrated the supply of millions of pounds worth of cocaine and ketamine has faced justice following a years-long investigation led by our detectives.
Ben Ransome, 29, sat at the top of a criminal network which organised the sale of drugs in bulk to his customer base, which included dealers linked to firearms.
Since the start of our investigation in 2021, detectives with our Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) have worked relentlessly to take down many of his associates, customers and couriers.
In 2023, we secured a total of 85 years in prison for an armed organised crime group, which aimed to move Class A drugs and firearms across Essex.
The gang’s principal supplier of drugs, 36-year-old David Glover, was in turn supplied by Ransome.
Glover was jailed for 23 years for his role in the conspiracy.
As the net tightened and we began to round up his associates, Ransome fled the country and was eventually traced to Thailand.
Our close partnership with international law enforcement agencies saw him face arrest and extradition earlier this year.
In particular, the work of the Royal Thai Police and the National Crime Agency was instrumental in tracking him down.
Ransome is now set to face 14 years behind bars after admitting a range of drug supply offences.
Ransome went on the run in the midst of one the largest series of connected investigations ever undertaken by Essex Police.
He was responsible for co-ordinating the supply of vast quantities of Class A and B drugs across the southeast of England.
In just a snapshot of the scale of the operation, one of Ransome’s couriers – who was tracked down and jailed for eight years during our investigation – moved more than 200kg of cocaine in under two months.
SOCU identified the key players, gathered irrefutable evidence and worked to bring the entire criminal enterprise down under Operation Spartan.
It has resulted in the seizing of vast sums of cash, drugs and weapons.
Since its inception in 2021, Operation Spartan and its connected investigations has seen:
A total of 50 years in prison sentences for the key players in Ransome’s organised crime group.
A total of 25 arrests throughout these investigations.
More than £1 million in cash recovered.
Just shy of 49kg of cocaine seized.
1kg of heroin seized, as well as 475g of ecstasy, 7kg of cannabis and 4kg of ketamine.
20 firearms seized.
More than 20 other offensive weapons seized.
Arrests and events: The timeline
February 2022
Ransome leaves his home in Ethelred Gardens, Wickford, with a heavy-laden bag.
He was seen to drive to Wickford Train Station, where he handed over the bag to associate, 42-year-old Charlie Lancaster.
Lancaster’s car was followed and stopped by our officers, with the offender admitting they would find drugs underneath the front passenger seats.
Ransome’s fingerprints were recovered from a carrier bag containing one of the blocks of cocaine.
Lancaster, of Woodcroft, Harlow, was charged, remanded in prison and subsequently pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
He was jailed for six years in May 2022.
Officers discovered nine kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of around £900,000 in Lancaster’s car.
17 March 2022
Ransome flees the UK and initially travels to Malaga, Spain, but continues to coordinate the supply of drugs.
31 March 2022
Kieran Grant, 44, is seen to leave Ransome’s home and is later stopped by our officers on the M11.
As with Lancaster, Grant indicated to officers he was carrying illegal cargo.
When asked what was in the boot, he replied: “Drugs – a lot. Cocaine.”
A search uncovered 19kg of the Class A drug, with a wholesale value of £665,000 and street value of almost £2 million.
Grant was established to be a courier of large amounts of cocaine and ketamine, travelling across the country distributing drugs and collecting money.
At an estimate, our investigation established he was involved in the distribution or collection of £20 million of drugs across a single month.
We established Grant received weekly payments from Ransome.
Grant, of Hartington Road, Southend, was subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for eight years in January 2023.
20 April 2022
Further observation at Ransome’s address catches 34-year-old Russell Dendle departing in a blue Ford Focus – a vehicle also previously linked to co-conspirator Grant.
Dendle was stopped by officers as he crossed the Dartford River towards Kent.
In total, 6kg of cocaine was recovered from his vehicle.
Further investigation found Dendle had been in regular contact with Ransome.
After Ransome left the country, Dendle assisted him in the day-to-day operation of his criminal enterprise, directing couriers in the transportation of drugs and the collection of cash.
Dendle, of Abbey Close, Hullbridge, admitted charges of conspiring to supply cocaine and ketamine, possessing criminal property and possession with intent to supply cocaine, and was jailed for a total of 12 years.
19 May 2022
Tye Cook, 33, also linked to the taking of packages from Ransome’s address, is at the wheel of a van in Westcliff when he is stopped by our officers.
Around 4kgs of cocaine is recovered from the rear of the vehicle.
Further searches of Cook’s home, in Worcester Drive, Rayleigh, recover a further 7.5kgs of cocaine and 4.5kgs of ketamine, along with £1,500 in cash.
His mother, Jane Cook, 53, is also arrested.
The pair were charged with and admitted possession with intent to supply and conspiring to supply a Class A drug, alongside possession of criminal property and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug.
Tye Cook was jailed for six years and nine months, while Jane Cook was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment in January 2023.
2 September 2024
The net finally closes on Ransome, with our partnership working with the National Crime Agency and law enforcement agencies in Thailand tracking him down.
He was traced to the island of Phuket, where he had attempted to reinvent himself as a boxer under the ring name ‘Billy Roberts’.
Extradited to the UK in July this year and transferred to Essex Police custody, he admitted charges of conspiring to supply cocaine and ketamine, possession of criminal property and supplying a controlled drug of Class A (cocaine).
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Yoni Adler said:
“Ransome tried to turn a substantial profit by running a criminal enterprise that spanned across the southeast of England.
“This vast supply in illegal substances doubtless fuelled extensive violence, threats and the use of weapons associated with his drug dealing customer base.
“Distanced from this untold harm as a wholesale supplier, Ransome worked at arm’s length, trying to make a comfortable living out of sight of the misery of the drugs trade.
“He watched as we took down each of his associates, one by one.
“At an early stage, when he realised the net was closing and he likely faced arrest, he simply ran away, seeking to disappear and start a new life abroad.
“He’s remained on a ticking clock ever since – it was only a matter of time before he faced the music.
“Criminals like Ransome fail to appreciate the extent of the reach and cooperative working of law enforcement both in Essex and the UK, and across the world.
“Huge credit for Ransome’s ultimate arrest should go to our exemplary partners in the National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau.
“Closer to home, the public in Essex should feel reassured that we have teams working across the force to tackle the trade in drugs that fuels further violent crime in their county.
“Through cases like this, we are making a difference.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin, deputy head of our Serious Crime Directorate, added:
“Our Serious and Organised Crime Unit officers and staff are specialists in their field; they literally disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups for a living.
“In this instance, the work undertaken to piece together a widespread conspiracy was painstaking and meticulous.
“It is impossible to measure the full scale of harm, both through weapons offences and violence, together with the devastation so often caused by the sale and use of Class A drugs, that would have been caused by this group’s continued industrial-scale supply.
“This work has effectively disrupted a multi-million pound black market industry – and it’s clear evidence that we’re focused on tackling illegal drug supply from the top down.”
Daniel Newell, NCA Regional Manager for Thailand said:
“Ben Ransome ran a highly sophisticated operation with no regard for the lives he devastated through his crimes. He believed he could evade justice by fleeing the country, underestimating the reach of the NCA and international partners to track down fugitives.
“Through the joint efforts of the NCA, the Royal Thai Police – specifically the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) and the Attorney General’s Office – and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we located and extradited Ransome back to the UK to face justice.”
Police Lieutenant General Nattasak Chaowanasai, CIB Commissioner added:
“Regardless of where the crime is committed or what form it may take, CIB will remain fully committed to providing international cooperation of this nature and to strengthen our collective efforts in combating transnational organised crime.”
Thomas Short, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
“Far from a low-level dealer, Ransome was a sophisticated and organised criminal who directed the operation from the top and distributed an industrial amount of Class A drugs to be sold onwards.
“This prosecution represents the final stage in the dismantling of a dangerous criminal network which played a crucial part in the drugs supply chain – a result which has come about through close working between investigators Essex Police and the CPS.
“Ransome thought he could evade justice by leaving the country, but he underestimated the determination of law enforcement and prosecutors to return him to the UK.
“His extradition was secured by the CPS with assistance from the Home Office, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the NCA international team and the Thai authorities, to whom we are grateful for putting the request before their courts.”
