Four Jailed Over £20m Frozen Fish Cocaine Plot in East London 2026

Key Points

• Smuggling Conspiracy Uncovered: A four-man organized crime group plotted to import approximately 600 kilograms (1,230lbs) of Class A cocaine into the UK from South America, with an estimated street value exceeding £20 million.
• Billingsgate Market Exploited: The group planned to conceal the narcotics within legitimate frozen fish shipments bound for Billingsgate Market in East London, using a trader’s genuine commercial operation as a front.
• Significant Prison Sentences: Sentenced at Snaresbrook Crown Court, the four men received combined prison terms exceeding 70 years.
• International Ring Leaders: Samuel Tokeley, 57, based in Alicante, Spain, and Nicholas Shilling, 63, based in Dubai, UAE, were both handed 22-year custodial sentences.
• Local Operations Handled: Scott Richards, 51, of Wickford, Essex, received 14 and a half years, while market trader Scott Unwin, 52, of Dagenham, East London, was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment.
• EncroChat Interception: The conspiracy, dubbed the “Fish Conspiracy” by detectives, was exposed following the international law enforcement takedown of the encrypted communications network EncroChat.
• Ketamine and Money Laundering Charges: Intercepted communications also revealed wider plots involving the importation and wholesale distribution of Class B ketamine, as well as cryptocurrency and cash laundering.

East London (East London Times) September 26, 2026 — Police caught on camera the moment officers raided a Billingsgate Market trader’s East London home to arrest him as part of a gang plot to import cocaine worth more than £20 million in frozen fish deliveries. Scott Unwin, who ran a legitimate business at the famous London fish market, is part of a gang of four who have now been jailed. They were each handed sentences ranging from 13 years to 22 years after plotting to import about 600 kilos (1,230lbs) of cocaine from South America that would have been bound for Billingsgate Market, the Metropolitan Police said. The four men were sentenced for conspiracy to import Class A drugs at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday (September 25).

Samuel Tokeley, 57, of Alicante, Spain, and Nicholas Shilling, 63, of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, were each jailed for 22 years. Scott Richards, 51, of Browning Drive, Wickford in Essex, was sentenced to 14-and-a-half years, and Unwin, 52, of Reede Road, Dagenham, was jailed for 13 years.

As reported by law enforcement correspondents across national media, the operation—designated by Metropolitan Police detectives as the “Fish Conspiracy”—was brought down through complex intelligence gathering following the dismantling of EncroChat, an encrypted telecommunications network heavily favoured by global organized crime networks. Decrypted communications accessed by officers exposed detailed arrangements between the defendants to source wholesale quantities of high-purity cocaine directly from contacts based in Ecuador.

The plan involved concealing 600kg batches of cocaine inside commercial containers of frozen fish originating from South American ports. Upon arrival at UK ports, the cargo was scheduled for direct dispatch to Billingsgate Market in East London, leveraging Scott Unwin’s long-established commercial trade links to bypass standard freight scrutiny and blend the illegal packages into routine morning trade deliveries. Although extensive logs detailing payment schedules, shipping documentation, customs clearance routes, and overseas suppliers were captured in real-time, police confirmed that the physical shipment of cocaine was intercepted and prevented before reaching British borders.

Who Were the Individual Members of the Syndicate and What Were Their Specific Roles?

As detailed by reporting staff from The Independent, the criminal network functioned as a international operation spanning several jurisdictions. Samuel Tokeley directed operations while residing in Alicante, Spain, managing international logistics and maintaining contact with South American suppliers. Nicholas Shilling coordinated parallel financial structures and supply logistics from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Both men operated as the top-tier coordinators for the enterprise, reflected in their matching 22-year custodial sentences handed down at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

On the domestic side, Scott Richards operated as a key liaison within Essex, overseeing local logistical planning, property acquisitions, and secondary distribution arrangements. Scott Unwin provided the essential commercial facade, offering his legitimate trading name, market stall footprint, and supply chain infrastructure at Billingsgate Market to process the incoming illicit imports.

Following a multi-agency operation involving the Metropolitan Police, the National Crime Agency (NCA), and international law enforcement partners in Spain and the United Arab Emirates, simultaneous arrests were executed in August 2023. Police units detained Richards and Unwin at their respective addresses in Essex and East London, while Tokeley and Shilling were taken into custody abroad before undergoing extradition proceedings. During the raids, officers seized significant amounts of physical cash, encrypted mobile hardware, high-value assets, and financial records.

At Woolwich Crown Court in March 2026, Samuel Tokeley entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to import Class A drugs alongside secondary charges. His co-defendants—Richards, Unwin, and Shilling—elected to stand trial and were subsequently convicted by a jury in May 2026 following a multi-week trial. In addition to the primary drug trafficking counts, Unwin and Richards were sentenced for conspiracy to acquire criminal property, while Richards and Tokeley received concurrent sentences for the importation and supply of Class B drugs.

What Other Illicit Activities Were Discovered During the Investigation?

As reported by police reporting teams at the Evening Standard, the scope of the criminal syndicate extended beyond the frozen fish cocaine scheme. Intercepted data extracted from EncroChat handsets revealed parallel plots to import industrial quantities of ketamine into the United Kingdom. Decrypted logs demonstrated that the group held active plans to source bulk ketamine supplies, process them at facilities across continental Europe, and transport them via established wholesale freight channels to distribution hubs in South East England.

Furthermore, financial analysis conducted by specialist crime officers uncovered a laundering infrastructure designed to process multi-million-pound illicit revenues. The group regularly discussed cash transport routes, international wire transfers, and the conversion of physical proceeds into cryptocurrency assets to obscure audit trails.

Commenting on the sentences handed down, Detective Chief Inspector Dean Grafton, of the Metropolitan Police Specialist Crime unit, stated that the syndicate was “operating on an industrial scale”. DCI Grafton added:

“The defendants believed that encrypted communication platforms would protect them as they discussed vast quantities of drugs, laundering criminal profits and exploiting legitimate businesses to facilitate their offending”.

He noted that the successful prosecution demonstrated the ongoing commitment of British law enforcement to dismantle international drug trafficking syndicates regardless of where their leaders reside.

Background of the Frozen Fish Cocaine Importation Plot

The prosecution of the “Fish Conspiracy” syndicate represents part of the ongoing fallout from Operation Venetic, the UK law enforcement response to the compromise of the EncroChat encrypted network in mid-2020. EncroChat was an encrypted communication network utilised by thousands of criminal actors globally to coordinate illicit activities under the assumption of absolute anonymity.

When European law enforcement agencies successfully penetrated the network’s servers, British authorities—led by the National Crime Agency and regional police forces—gained access to millions of instant messages. These communications laid bare the operational mechanics of UK-bound drug smuggling, illegal firearms trading, and complex money laundering schemes.

Historically, commercial maritime ports and specialized food import facilities have been targeted by Class A smuggling networks due to the high volume of perishable goods passing through customs checkpoints daily. Legitimate trade hubs, such as London’s historic Billingsgate Market, process vast tonnages of imported seafood daily. Criminal organizations seek to embed illicit cargo within temperature-controlled shipments like frozen fish because standard inspection protocols can be technically challenging without interrupting the cold chain of legitimate food supplies. By compromising or co-opting legitimate market traders who possess existing customs clearance paperwork and commercial storage facilities, drug trafficking syndicates attempt to bypass traditional law enforcement checks at ports of entry.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect London Food Logistics and Commercial Traders

The sentencing of Scott Unwin and the exposure of the Billingsgate Market front company are likely to trigger far-reaching operational and regulatory changes across the UK food import sector, impacting commercial traders, freight forwarders, and port authorities alike.

Increased Regulatory Scrutiny and Import Delays

In the immediate aftermath of this judicial outcome, Border Force and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are expected to introduce heightened inspection protocols for imported frozen goods arriving from high-risk origin points in South America. For legitimate Billingsgate market traders and seafood importers, this will likely translate into longer clearance windows at container terminals, elevated storage charges, and potential supply chain disruptions for perishable items requiring rapid delivery.

Compliance Overhauls for Historic Wholesalers

Traders operating within traditional markets like Billingsgate, Smithfield, and New Spitalfields will face stringent compliance checks. Market authorities and local councils may introduce enhanced due diligence mandates, requiring commercial tenants to undergo stricter background checks, prove ultimate beneficial ownership of their supply firms, and submit to third-party audits of international freight documentation.

Supply Chain Reputation and Financial Security

For small-to-medium seafood businesses, the exploitation of a market trader’s identity damages consumer and institutional trust. Insurance underwriters may re-evaluate risk profiles for commercial food importers, leading to increased premium costs across the sector. Additionally, logistics providers may demand additional verification before fulfilling shipping orders from independent overseas suppliers, altering how independent traders conduct international trade.