Three men who conspired to transport firearms and drugs into the UK via Eurotunnel have been sentenced to a total of 40 years.

On May 17 at Woolwich Crown Court, Kennedy Udo, 28 of Avery Hill Road, Eltham was sentenced to eight years and six months, having been found guilty of conspiracy to supply drugs and being knowingly concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of goods.

Michael Mgbedike, 22 of Spur Road, Orpington, was sentenced to eight years, having been found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.

Previously, on September 7 last year, Emmanuel Okubote, 27 of Evan Cook Close, Peckham, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply firearms with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to supply class A drugs and possessing ammunition with intent to endanger life.

He was sentenced to 23.5 years’ imprisonment on November 9, 2018.

The sentences follow a proactive operation by the Trident and Area Crime Command, working with Border Force.

On August 12, 2017, two loaded firearms, ammunition and a sound moderator were recovered in Coquelles in France, in a car destined for Folkestone.

The car was seized and subsequently 990 grams of high purity cocaine were recovered from inside the car’s roof cavity.

Udo and Mgbedike were arrested at the scene and subsequently charged.

An investigation was launched by the Trident and Area Crime Command and Okubote and a woman were arrested in the early hours of August 13.

They were charged with firearms offences in January 2018 when a loaded firearm was recovered from an address in Torcross Drive, Forest Hill.

Okubote’s fingerprints were recovered from a carrier bag in which the firearm was held in and his DNA was recovered from two parts of the firearm.

In addition, a firearm was recovered from a vehicle in North London where Okubote’s fingerprint was also found on the bag that contained the firearm.

Detectives established that the men had made several trips to Amsterdam, via Eurotunnel, during the months of July and August 2017.

It is believed that at least three importations of prohibited firearms and drugs had taken place. Okubote was established to be the main orchestrator in the conspiracy, using others with little or no previous criminal history to work for him.