Organised crime group courier sentenced to 15 years in prison

A man from Hertfordshire has been jailed for couriering cash and drugs across the UK on behalf of an Organised Crime Group (OCG).

Nathaniel Armani, 46, of Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, appeared at Merthyr Crown Court today for sentencing as a result of Operation Tender.

Operation Tender was a proactive investigation led by Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) for southern Wales, into the supply of Class A and Class B drugs into the southern Wales region.

Armani acted as a courier for an Organised Crime Group (OCG) operating from a base in the Metropolitan Police area. The group were responsible for the wholesale supply of multi-kilo quantities of Cocaine and Cannabis throughout the UK.

On Thursday October 12, 2023, at the request of Tarian ROCU, officers from Cumbia police intercepted Armani as he drove his Audi A8 south on the M6. During a search of his vehicle, officers uncovered £200,000 in cash and multiple mobile phones.

Following his arrest, Armani’s mobile phones were examined and found to contain evidence – including images and videos – of his criminal activities and his connection to the OCG.

Armani had already pleaded guilty to money laundering and drug supply offences at earlier hearings. He was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for:

• Being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, namely 11kgs of Cocaine;
• Being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs, namely 603 kgs of Cannabis;
• Transferring criminal property, namely just under £1.7 million in cash.

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

His Honour, Judge Jeremy Jenkins KC, presiding, 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.”