How the cheese route worked

A drugs network hid cocaine inside wheels of cheese shipped into Britain in commercial consignments from Europe, prosecutors have said. The cheese travelled by road and ferry to a legitimate distribution hub in Derby, where investigators say the drugs were concealed within the shipments.

The case, brought by the Crown Prosecution Service after an investigation by West Yorkshire Police, involved a conspiracy to supply cocaine on a very large scale.

Sentences handed down this week

Three men were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Friday 30 October, with four others sentenced earlier in the week, making seven sentenced in total in this phase of the case. Brandon Eley, 31, of Tamworth, received 10 years; Aaron McNally, 38, of Manchester, received 10 years and nine months; and Antony Etheridge, 70, of no fixed address, received 18 months, according to reporting of the sentences.

The prosecution said the wider group imported vast quantities of cocaine, with reporting putting the street value of the operation at more than £450 million and the quantity at 4.5 tonnes. Sources differ on the total number convicted: the CPS release describes 22 members of an organised crime group convicted, while one news report describes 18 people convicted. This article uses the CPS figure as primary.

Reporting restrictions had remained in place until two trials concluded, which is why the full picture is only now emerging.

Sources: Crown Prosecution Service