The OCG boss was arrested in Thailand after utilizing autos together with pretend NHS vans to move class-A medicine up and down the UK.
Ritesh Patel. A drug gang used pretend NHS ‘affected person transport’ vans (Picture: Tarian / SWNS)
An organised crime boss who used NHS vans to flood Wales and northern England with 100s of kilos of cocaine and heroin has been jailed – after being extradited from Thailand. Ritesh Patel, 43, was head of the organised crime group (OCG) whose community of prison couriers transported unlawful medication and money throughout the UK utilizing taxis and pretend NHS Affected person Transport vans to keep away from police detection.
Cardiff Crown Court docket heard the OCG was answerable for supplying lots of of kilograms of class-A medicine throughout the UK from hubs in Dubai, Southern Spain, Liverpool and South Wales. Patel arrange an organization referred to as ‘Mr Restoration’ and acquired a roadside restoration truck and different autos with refined hidden areas to stash medication for couriering.
He was arrested in June 2022 in Thailand and after appeals was lastly extradited to the UK final October and jailed for 20 years on sixteenth March after admitting conspiracy to produce cocaine and heroin.
Caroline Hughes, Specialist Prosecutor within the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS) Critical Financial and Organised and Worldwide Directorate, stated: “Ritesh Patel is a profession prison who previous to this conviction had served a major sentence for conspiracy to produce medication.
“Having been launched from that sentence it didn’t take lengthy for him to begin offending once more in precisely the identical approach.
“He thought that by being primarily based in Dubai, outdoors of our jurisdiction, his offending would by no means meet up with him.
“Nonetheless when he travelled from Dubai to Thailand, and was arrested for utilizing a pretend passport, our prison justice counterparts in Thailand acted swiftly in aiding us with the extradition proceedings which resulted in his return to the UK to face justice.
“The availability of medication is motivated by greed. It’s a profitable enterprise for these concerned.
“The medication that are finally equipped to the individuals utilizing them have disastrous penalties for themselves and their households and the neighborhood: huge quantity of crimes are dedicated by customers of those medication to acquire cash to purchase them.”
The court docket heard the proof within the case originates from EncroChat messages despatched by organised crime teams, with South Wales Police investigating the availability of medication into Wales.
The messages had been despatched between encrypted gadgets, which customers thought weren’t traceable.
Nonetheless, the prison communications community was unmasked when EncroChat was decrypted in 2020 by European legislation enforcement, customers had been traced and messages used as important proof of prison acts.
Seized money from gang (Picture: Tarian / SWNS)
The CPS stated: “Messages from Patel to different members of the OCG had been used to display how he orchestrated the operations, reminiscent of organising for medication and money to be distributed throughout Cardiff, Newport and different areas in South Wales.
“Patel was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service in June 2022. Later within the month he was arrested in Thailand for having a fraudulent passport. The CPS utilized to extradite him from Thailand.
“A Thai court docket dominated that Patel might be extradited. This ruling was appealed by Patel, however in August 2025 a ultimate extradition order was made and Patel was returned to the UK in October 2025.”
Patel was formally charged for his position within the conspiracy to produce cocaine and heroin. He pleaded responsible at Cardiff Crown Court docket to each counts and was sentenced on 16 March 2026 to twenty years imprisonment.
Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd Williams, of Tarian ROCU stated: “This sentence is the results of excellent partnership working between Tarian ROCU, the NCA and the CPS, and displays the seriousness of Patels’ offending.
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“He was answerable for distributing staggering portions of Class A medicine throughout the communities of southern Wales and thought he may keep away from the legislation by hiding abroad.
“By bringing Patel to justice now we have proven Tarian’s dedication to tackling critical and organised crime impacting upon our area. We’ll proceed to pursue offenders and put them earlier than the courts.”
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