A drugs gang dealing in wholesale quantities exported the likes of ecstasy and ketamine to America and Australia packaged as Epsom salts or Dead Sea bath salts.
Dale Sullivan, prosecuting, told a sentencing hearing at Hove Crown Court that six defendants used places such as DHL, Robert Dyas and WH Smith to send the packages abroad.
And they kept a pink iPhone, linked to two of the defendants, an array of mobile phone sim cards and a master diary to keep track of their trade.
Police seized a variety of drugs, packaging and bath salts including two holdalls containing MDMA or ecstasy worth about £1 million hidden in rented farm buildings at Truleigh Hill, on the South Downs Way, north of Shoreham.
They also found more drugs stashed in two cars – ecstasy, ketamine, alprazolam, better known as xanax, cocaine, modafinil and the erectile dysfunction treatment kamagra – plus a taser.
The defendants drove to different places to try to evade suspicion as they posted the drugs packages abroad.
Mr Sullivan said: “The packages were disguised as bath products and labelled as Epsom salts or cosmetics or perfume. They purchased tens of kilos of Epsom salts to further that particular business.”
The drugs were put into “Mylar” bags, Mr Sullivan said. The bags are heat, moisture and odour-proof.
Despite their efforts, a significant number of the drugs packages were returned or intercepted but Mr Sullivan added: “A lot of the packages got to their intended destinations undetected and unchallenged.”
The linchpin, Alexander Griffin, of Queen’s Road, Brighton, was spotted rummaging in the boot of a stash car – a Volvo S40 – parked outside his sidekick Benjamin Beal’s home in Eastern Terrace, Brighton.
Griffin was also spotted getting into another stash car, a Chevrolet Lacetti, at a car park behind Churchill Square shopping centre, in Brighton.
The Chevrolet linked him to two others who played a part in the operation – brothers Dean and Oliver Mazirel. All three men were jailed at previous hearings by Judge Christine Henson at Hove Crown Court while Beal awaited a trial by jury.
Separately, the Mazirels were jailed again at hearings in Lewes and Brighton last week and the week before for their part in yet another drugs ring.
Griffin and the Mazirels were arrested after a police chase ended at Goring Bridge on Tuesday 6 August 2019. Police pursued the trio in a silver Mercedes car along Brighton Road, Worthing, and Goring Road.
Mr Sullivan told Hove Crown Court that Alex Griffin was jailed for six years last May. He was by then the longest-serving remand prisoner in Lewes Prison. He was arrested in August 2019, almost four years earlier.
Judge Christine Henson said that Beal’s trial dates had been moved a number of times, partly because of the coronavirus pandemic and the shutdown of the courts and the delay in dealing in cases with several defendants.
Arlette Piercy, defending Ben Beal, said that a jury had acquitted him of the most serious charges that he faced, relating to cocaine, alprazolam, better known as xanax, and MDMA – or ecstasy.
He was also cleared of money laundering despite having more than £10,000 stashed behind the sofa at his Eastern Terrace home. Beal said that it was the legitimate proceeds of bitcoin trading.
Mr Sullivan told the jury at Beal’s trial that he had declared minimal income to Revenue and Customs yet from 2017 to 2019 about £1 million in cash deposits and credits had passed into his accounts.
The jury was told that Griffin and Beal were both directors of a cryptocurrency business called Mirox Crypto. The business never published its accounts.
Beal’s bank account received credits from Griffin’s and vice versa and the pair used the Signal app – an end-to-end encrypted mobile phone app or application.
Beal did admit having more than 500 grams of cannabis shatter – sheeted compressed cannabis oil. He said that it was for his personal use but he found it too strong so hadn’t used most of what he’d bought.
Sussex Police said: “Members of an organised crime group have been sentenced for their roles in supplying drugs disguised as bath salts and beauty products.
“The group used products in an effort to ship class A and class B drugs to the USA and Australia via courier services.
“But the vast majority of packages were intercepted either in the UK or in the recipient countries, prompting a police inquiry.
“Sussex Police officers attended rented premises at Truleigh Hill near Shoreham, where about £1 million in MDMA was located inside two holdall bags.
“Following a thorough investigation, eight people have been convicted for their roles in the criminal enterprise.
“At Hove Crown Court on Friday 12 January, the final defendants appeared for sentence.
“The court was told how two holdall bags containing MDMA were found in stables rented by Jenny Blake in June 2019.
“Lee Hudson and his then partner Laura Burke were seen visiting regularly and, through paperwork and investigation, Matt Hodgson and Benjamin Beal were also linked to the group.
“Records showed that the group had attempted to post packages to Australia and the USA, concealing class A drugs in bath salts packaging.
“The group had purchased 64kg of bath salts in just a one-month period to use the packaging.
“All of the group were linked to making attempts to send the packages.
“Meanwhile, Alexander Griffin was also linked to the organised group. He was observed by officers in central Brighton entering a ‘stash’ vehicle which contained 4,000 suspected class A drugs tablets in the Churchill Square shopping centre car park in August 2019.
“The estimated street value of the drugs was worth more than £320,000. Officers observed him interacting with brothers Dean Mazirel and Oliver Mazirel in Cannon Place before the brothers were also later arrested.”
Five of the gang were jailed and the other three were given suspended prison sentences and ordered to carry out unpaid work.
Dean Mazirel, 39, a construction worker, of Grafton Road, Worthing, formerly of Marine Parade, Brighton, and Oliver Mazirel, 35, a landscape gardener, of South Street, Tarring, both admitted conspiring to supply class A drugs. At a hearing in January 2020, they were both jailed for two and a half years.
Alexander Griffin, 37, a financial consultant, of Ninfield Road, Bexhill, and formerly of Queen’s Road, Brighton, admitted conspiring to export drugs abroad. He was jailed for six years at a hearing last May.
Last week, another hearing at Hove was told that Griffin was assessed to have made a profit of about £370,000 and still had almost £80,000 available. He was ordered to hand over £78,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act within three months or face a further year in prison.
Benjamin Beal, 43, managing director a property company, of Downland Drive, Hove, and formerly of Eastern Terrace, Brighton, was found guilty of conspiring to export drugs abroad. He was jailed for three years and nine months.
Lee Hudson, 42, a barber, of Manor Fields, Horsham, and formerly of Nevill Road, Hove, and North Street, Portslade, admitted the same offence and was jailed for three years and seven months.
Jenny Blake, 40, formerly a teacher, of Ashdown, Eaton Road, Hove, admitted participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months. She was ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work.
Laura Burke, 33, formerly a child carer, of South Street, Partridge Green, and previously of Nevill Road, Hove, and Norfolk Terrace, Brighton, admitted participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group and was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months. She was ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and 30 sessions of rehabilitation activity.
Matt Hodgson, 47, unemployed, of Caneheath, Polegate, formerly of Alfriston, admitted participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group. He was sentenced to a year in prison, suspended for two years, 240 hours of unpaid work and 10 sessions of rehabilitation activity.
After the case, Acting Detective Inspector Ed Bohnet said: “This was an organised group operating to disguise the transport and sale of large quantities of class A and B drugs from Sussex via courier services.
“Following a thorough investigation, all of the defendants have now been convicted.
“It demonstrates our determination to catch offenders operating in organised groups and to disrupt drug supply which has such a harmful impact on our communities.”
