Officers stop stolen car on the A12 and recover £50k of cocaine

The good work of officers in surrounding a stolen car at a service station led to the recovery of £50,000 of cocaine and the tracing of a wholesale drug supplier.

Two offenders engaged in the large-scale supply of cocaine now face a combined 10 years in prison.

The case began back in May 2023, with officers on patrol spotting a vehicle with cloned number plates travelling along the A12.

Several units surrounded the vehicle when it stopped in a service station at Feering, detaining the driver, 50-year-old Lee Ansell.

Two 1kg blocks of cocaine, with an estimated value of between £48,000 and £60,000, were recovered from the boot.

The car itself was seized, having found to have been stolen from an address in Bedfordshire.

A Braintree CID and Serious Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) investigation went on to establish Ansell, of Willow Way, Ampthill, Bedfordshire, was a courier, who had agreed to transport the drugs for criminal associates in exchange for payment.

We found he had been directed by dealer Paul Jones, 41, of Beaumont Road, Flitwick, Bedfordshire, who we interviewed.

This resulted in both men being charged with conspiring to supply cocaine.

Each admitted the charge and appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court for sentence on Friday 22 August.

Jones was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, while Ansell was jailed for three years and six months.

We will be taking action under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover any outstanding criminal profit.

'Significant financial gain'

DI Frazer Low, of SOCU, said:

“This was an example of good, proactive police work and a collaborative approach across several teams.
“What started with the recovery of a stolen vehicle and the seizure of drugs led to further work to put a dent in an operation supplying drugs in large quantities in Essex.
“It is clear that those engaged in this operation expected to make significant financial gain.
“Instead, they face lengthy spells in prison.
“Drug crime lies behind wider offending such as incidents of violence in our county and we’re committed to tackling it.”

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