A THURROCK man has been jailed for 23 years for his role as a lynchpin boss in a multi-million pound drug smuggling operation.

Lea Talbot, 55, of Godman Road, Chadwell St Mary, is behind bars after an investigation by the National Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) unravelled a complex smuggling ring, described as 'highly sophisticated' and which operated by using the encrypted covert messaging platform EncroChat.

A senior detective said cracking code to Eurochat the was pivotal in securing convictions against criminals who planned to smuggle £48m worth of cocaine into Europe.

Talbot was at the head of a gang involved in the plot to smuggle 600kg (94st 6lb) of the Class A drug on a yacht that was being used in a transatlantic sailing race.

The other leader of the group, Lee McClenaghan, 57 from Chelmsford was sentenced to 30 years and a second man from Thurrock, Sundeep Grewal, 37, of Park View Gardens, Grays, got 40 months. The food business operator was found guilty of conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug

Det Insp Richard Smith of the OCP, a unit made up of officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Metropolitan Police, said the sentences handed to the 'highly sophisticated' group were 'incredibly significant'.

Det Insp Smith, the senior investigating officer in the case, said officers became aware of the group led by McClenaghan and Talbot in 2019.

The pair had recruited experienced sailor Ian Magee, 68, to take part in an annual transatlantic yacht race from the Caribbean island of St Lucia, to Lagos in Portugal.

Pictures of a boat journey with Venezuelan drug cartels were found on Lea Talbot's phone, the National Crime Agency said

Magee, of Fortinbras Way, Chelmsford, purchased a boat which he used in the 2019 race, in what officers believed was a dummy run.

Talbot was sent to meet Venezuelan drug cartel bosses ahead of the 2020 race, the NCA said.

Meanwhile, Magee spent £100,000 on another boat he planned to load with cocaine and enter into the event, which was eventually cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

He was sentenced to 20 years behind bars after being convicted of conspiracy to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class A drug and concealing criminal property.

Det Insp Smith said evidence gathered from the EncroChat encrypted phone network, which became obsolete after police cracked into it in 2020, was a 'really important part for the prosecution'. The service ran on modified mobile phones using unique servers that could only communicate with each other, he said.

Cracking the code has played part in investigations that led to convictions of Thurrock men including businessman Simon Renoldi, who is currently serving a 21 year jail sentence for running a drugs gang, and the breaking up of a drug-manufacturing plant involving Grays man Sean Lawrence who was sentenced to seven years in 2024.

Cracking Encrochat played a major role in the convictions of Simon Renoldi, Sean Lawsrence and William Sartin who all ran drugs-realted criminal operations in Thurrock.

Another drugs smuggling ring that operated from a base in Grays was also busted when EncroChat was cracked, leading to convictions of a number of men including ringleader William Sartin who got 23 years.

Users of Encrochat would pick handles to remain anonymous, with McClenaghan and Talbot choosing to be known as "catwithninelives" and "legitimateyak".

Speaking about the investigation to the BBC, Det Insp Smith  said: "It was quite obvious that they were quite happy to talk about really specific details within that chat because they were so confident in its security.

"When we got those historic messages back, it was in plain sight for all to see."

He said officers believed the organised criminals had planned to repeat their mission twice, making it "exceedingly lucrative" for the group.

"Each trip of 600kg of cocaine would've, we believe, given them £24m in profit."

The group also tried to import a total of 676kg (106st 6lb) of cannabis across two shipments from South Africa and Canada, but these were intercepted by Border Force.

Det Insp Smith said the demise of EncroChat had created a "cat and mouse game" for officers.

"Organised criminals will move on to another platform," the senior police officer said. "We will continue to do all we can to thwart that."

Four other members of the organised crime group were sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court:

• Payment negotiator Daniel Braithwaite, 61, of St Hilda's Mews, Westcliff-on-Sea: Twenty-two years for conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of Class A and Class B drugs
• John Campbell, 69, of Willesden Lane, Brent, north-west London: Ten years for 30 counts, mostly relating to forged documents
• Cannabis organiser Kane Ward, 60, of Boyd Close, Upminster: Six years and six months for conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug
• Freight forwarder Stephen Persaud, 41, of Church Road, Upminster: Thirty-two months for participating in an organised crime group

Paul Tozer, 61, of Kings Wood Park, Epping, admitted two counts of conspiring to fraudulently evade a prohibition on the importation of a Class B drug at Chelmsford Crown Court in April 2024 and was sentenced to six years imprisonment.