A gang involved in importing parcels of cocaine dropped from a plane has been sentenced for drug-related offences. The criminal group, operating along the Hertfordshire and Essex border, used a car wash business in Spellbrook as a front for their activities.
Following an investigation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), cocaine worth an estimated £4.2 million and £31,700 in cash were seized. Det Insp Daniel Barker from ERSOU stated, “These men were entirely motivated by greed and paid no regard to the significant damage that Class A drugs cause in our communities.”
The gang worked with contacts abroad to arrange for the drugs to be dropped in Dorset. They used flights departing from northern France, designed to avoid radar systems. Once the parcels were dropped, Rolandas Bauza, 47, or Martynas Piecia, 37, would travel to a specific location to collect them.
In September 2024, Bauza and Arjan Lisaj, 33, were arrested at the car wash. Piecia was arrested nearby. Bauza was found in possession of £31,700 in cash, while Lisaj attempted to dispose of a phone by throwing it into a stream as police arrived. During a search of the car wash, officers found blocks of cocaine in an office.
That same day, ERSOU detectives raided Bauza’s home in Loughton, where his brother, Tomas Bauza, 44, was detained. Police found 54kg of cocaine and evidence suggesting the house had been used as a cannabis factory.
In February at St Albans Crown Court, Piecia, Rolandas Bauza, and Lisaj all pleaded guilty to being involved in the importation and supply of controlled drugs. Piecia was sentenced to 15 years and seven months, Rolandas Bauza to 14 years and seven months, and Lisaj received a seven-year sentence. Tomas Bauza was sentenced to 10 years for drug supply but was cleared of importation.
Det Insp Barker praised the effort to capture evidence during the investigation, adding, “They went to great lengths to hide their illicit activities, and today’s result follows a huge amount of police work.”
