A drug kingpin who orchestrated a multi-million-pound cocaine network and fled to Thailand to evade justice has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.
The Multi-Million Pound Operation
Ben Ransome, 29, was the leader of an organised crime group that moved a staggering 200 kilograms of cocaine in less than two months during early 2022. The gang also supplied £175,000 worth of ketamine.
Basildon Crown Court heard that the wholesale value of the cocaine was £38,000 per kilo, totalling £7.6 million. However, its potential street value was far higher, with a single kilogram capable of fetching around £100,000.
Life on the Run in Phuket
As police closed in on his operation in March 2022, Ransome fled the UK. He initially went to Spain before settling in Thailand, where he lived in a luxury villa on the island of Phuket for three years.
Despite being abroad, he continued to direct the criminal enterprise, managing couriers across the southeast of England who were supplying ‘commercial amounts’ of drugs. He even reinvented himself as a prizefighter, competing under the alias ‘Billy Roberts’.
His time on the run ended when he was tracked down by the National Crime Agency (NCA) working with Thai authorities. He spent 311 days in the notoriously harsh Central Bangkok Prison – often ironically called the ‘Bangkok Hilton’ – awaiting extradition back to Britain.
Justice Served and Gang Dismantled
Ransome eventually pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine, conspiracy to possess criminal property, and supplying cocaine. He was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.
His right-hand man, Russell Dendle, was jailed for 12 years in 2022. Couriers Kieran Grant and Tye Cook, along with fellow conspirators Charlie Lancaster and Jane Cook, have all received significant prison sentences.
During the investigation, Essex Police seized more than £1 million in cash, nearly 50kg of cocaine, and 20 firearms. The probe revealed that Ransome was the supplier for another major gang leader, David Glover, 36, who was himself convicted.
Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Yoni Adler stated: ‘He believed he could evade justice by fleeing the country, underestimating the reach of the NCA and international partners.’
Daniel Newell, NCA Regional Manager for Thailand, added: ‘Ben Ransome ran a highly sophisticated operation with no regard for the lives he devastated through his crimes.’
In his defence, barrister Jonathan Green told the court Ransome was a ‘changed man’ who expressed genuine remorse, citing a life-changing experience with nitrous oxide that caused temporary paralysis.
