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Drugs king guilty of helping smuggle £10m cocaine

Katy Prickett
PA Media Zak Archbold pictured leaving court. He has short brown hair and a beard. He is wearing a white shirt and has a black backpack over his shoulders.PA Media
Zak Archbold denied he was the person referred to by the drug trafficking gang as "King", but a jury found him guilty

A UPS worker nicknamed "King" has been found guilty of drug smuggling, having paved the way for cocaine worth £10m to be smuggled into Britain.

Parcels of class A drugs were shipped from the Netherlands to a UPS depot in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, all addressed to a semi-detached house in Upminster, east London.

Zak Archbold, 30, from Braintree in Essex, denied being the scheme's inside man at the depot.

But the jury at Soutwark Crown Court found him guilty of fraudulently evading the prohibition on the importation of class A drugs. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Prosecutors said Archbold used his role as a supervisor to ensure the drug shipments came through undetected.

The court heard that between mid-April and the end of May 2020, almost 300 parcels - with an estimated wholesale value of £10m - were smuggled through the depot.

About £2,000 was paid by the gang for each kilo of cocaine shipped into the UK, the court was told, while Archbold received £750 for every kilo successfully shipped in.

The operation was exposed when law enforcement agencies around the world gained access to the secure Encrochat messaging system, used by a swathe of criminal gangs.

Google Red and white barriers at the entrance to a large grey UPS warehouse in Stanford-le-Hope, which has lots of lorries parked in a yard out the front.Google
He used his job at the UPS depot in Stanford-le-Hope to ensure the drugs were smuggled successfully, jurors were told

The gang used aliases on the messaging system, including "Veggie Kray", "Ghost" and "Cuddly Bandit". Archbold was referred to as "King" in messages.

"He was running the show at Stanford-le-Hope in his role as the pre-load team leader," said prosecutor Jenny Burgess.

"He was able, in his role at UPS, to facilitate the safe passage of parcels to the drivers for onward delivery."

Getty Images The outside of Southwark Crown Court which is a brown brick building with small, rectangular windows. There is a long roof over the path up to the entrance with 'Crown Court Southwark' written in gold letters. Three people are walking under it.Getty Images
Archbold was tried at Southwark Crown Court in London

Archbold denied being "King", but was caught when a UPS delivery driver was suspected of stealing money that had been handed over by customers.

Messages showed he knew about the theft of the money, and had warned the driver this illicit activity should stop as it was threatening to draw attention.

Archbold, who has been remanded in custody, will be sentenced alongside another of the drug smuggling conspiracy who pleaded guilty to his role.

Three other suspects accused of similar offending are still at large.

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