Convicted People Smuggler Jailed Again After Running £24M Drugs Operation From Prison Cell

A convicted people smuggler who orchestrated the importation of almost a tonne of cocaine and ketamine into the UK – worth £24.5 million – from his prison cell has been jailed again.

Arturas Jusas, 38, used smuggled mobile phones while serving time for human trafficking to mastermind shipments of drugs through Newhaven port and beyond.

Jusas and his organised crime group (OCG) coordinated deliveries for other gangs, concealing drugs in vans and lorries. Police intercepted one haul in Maresfield, seizing 70kg of cocaine and 632kg of ketamine packed into 30 boxes.

Following a complex investigation by Sussex Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, working with national partners, Jusas admitted conspiracy to import Class A and B drugs.

At Lewes Crown Court he was sentenced to six years and four months – and will be deported to Lithuania.

Three of his associates – Andrew Gudz, Ihor Korobets and Russell King – were previously jailed for a combined 56 years in July, while several others involved in the smuggling runs have also been convicted.

Detective Superintendent Tim Shaw, Head of Serious and Organised Crime for Surrey and Sussex Police, said:

“Despite being in prison, Jusas went to great lengths to organise his lucrative operation using smuggled iPhones.

"This investigation dismantled a national OCG that brought harm and fear into our communities.

"Society will be safer as a result of these convictions and significant sentences.”