Five men have been jailed for a combined total of 84 years after using so-called 'ghost warehouses' in Birmingham and other locations to import drugs from mainland Europe. The Metropolitan Police said around £8 million worth of cocaine and heroin was seized during the investigation.
Sentences handed down at Kingston Crown Court
The defendants were sentenced on Thursday, May 21, at Kingston Crown Court. Andrzej Walas, 48, of Slough, received 26 years; Robert Francuz, 43, of Hemel Hempstead, was jailed for 21 years; Jamie Allen, 29, of Birmingham, was sentenced to 13 years; Dawid Gasiewski, 32, of no fixed address but from Kingston, received 14 years and 4 months; and Jagjit Singh, 30, of Birmingham, was jailed for 10 years and 6 months.
Sophisticated operation using haulage routes
Police described a sophisticated method involving legitimate haulage routes and ghost warehouses. Lorries arriving at UK ports would divert from their intended delivery routes to storage sites in Slough and later Daventry. Drugs were secretly offloaded before the lorries continued to their original destinations. The drugs were then removed, repackaged, and distributed onward. Men flew in from Poland specifically to assist with unloading and onward supply, often using hire cars to make short trips from the sites to distribute wholesale quantities to drug dealers.
Investigation led by Met's Specialist Crime command
The investigation began in July 2024 following surveillance of a suspect handover of boxes between cars linked to the network in Slough. A stop by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit led to the seizure of five kilograms of cocaine and 25 kilograms of heroin. On August 6, 2024, officers executed a warrant at a warehouse in Slough, discovering approximately 103 kilograms of cocaine and 37 kilograms of heroin. Evidence showed the location had been used repeatedly, with at least ten similar imports between May and August 2024.
Second ghost warehouse in Daventry
Despite the disruption, the group re-established operations. In March 2025, Walas and Francuz secured a second ghost warehouse in Daventry. On April 7, 2025, officers identified a lorry from the Netherlands making an unexplained stop at the site. Driver Dawid Gasiewski unloaded cargo into the warehouse before Jagjit Singh arrived. Police seized approximately 200 kilograms of cocaine and a further 100 kilograms inside the warehouse. Jamie Allen was arrested shortly after arriving, while Walas and Francuz were arrested the following day.
Total seizures and wider impact
Over the course of the investigation, officers seized approximately 328 kilograms of cocaine and 62 kilograms of heroin. Analysis indicates the network was responsible for importing and distributing significantly larger quantities, potentially exceeding one tonne of Class A drugs. Detective Constable Leon Ure said: 'This case has centred on a criminal venture planned on a gigantic commercial scale which would have likely caused violence and destruction on our streets. These offenders organised a significant drug line into London and the surrounding counties over a prolonged period of time.'
