Hertfordshire Drug Courier Jailed After £3m Operation Bust

A Hertfordshire man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role as a courier for a major drug operation spanning the UK. 🚔

Nathaniel Armani, 46, of Hoddesdon, appeared at Merthyr Crown Court last Friday after pleading guilty to serious drug supply and money laundering offences as part of Operation Tender.

The investigation, led by Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit for southern Wales, revealed Armani worked for an Organised Crime Group based in the Metropolitan Police area, transporting multi-kilo quantities of cocaine and cannabis throughout Britain.

Officers from Cumbria Police intercepted Armani’s Audi A8 on the M6 motorway last October, discovering £200,000 in cash and multiple mobile phones. Further investigation of these devices uncovered damning evidence of his criminal activities, including images and videos linking him to the OCG.

The court heard Armani was responsible for:

• Supplying 11kg of cocaine
• Supplying 603kg of cannabis
• Transferring nearly £1.7 million in criminal cash

His Honour, Judge Jeremy Jenkins KC, highlighted that Armani had been couriering “a quite staggering amount of cannabis”.

Detective Constable Sean Meyrick of Tarian ROCU said: “The arrest of Armani demonstrates that Tarian Regional Organised Crime Unit will pursue offenders across the UK. The sentencing of Armani is a significant disruption to organised criminality and has had a knock on effect to the supply and distribution of Class A and B drugs into the southern Wales region. It should also serve as a warning to others engaging in similar criminality.”

The combined wholesale value of drugs supplied by Armani was just under £3 million. 💰