Six members of a drugs gang have been jailed after £7million worth of crystal meth disguised as weight loss shakes was smuggled into the UK from America.

The ‘colossal’ haul of the class A drug was the largest ever seized by Nottinghamshire Police and was intercepted at Stansted Airport in May 2023.

Ringleader of the gang Davante James flaunted his wealth and lavish lifestyle, including exotic holidays, on social media prior to his arrest.

The 29-year-old boxing coach was caught posing for photos and videos holding Rolex watches, expensive cigars and pretending to eat wads of banknotes.

James ran the gang with Rakeem Thomas, 28, Lemar Taylor, 32, and Kian Raymond, 27, and held meetings with an unidentified ringleader in the Middle East.

They were arrested after parcel shipped from America, labelled as a weight loss shake, was intercepted by Border Force officials.

It was found to contain 900g of methamphetamine and 2kg of cannabis.

Six members of a drugs gang (pictured) have been jailed after £7 million worth of crystal meth was smuggled into the UK from America disguised as weight loss shakes

Ringleader of the gang Davante James (pictured) flaunted his wealth and lavish lifestyle, which included exotic holidays, on social media prior to his arrest

The cocky boxing coach was caught posing for photos and videos holding Rolex watches, expensive cigars and pretending to eat wads of banknotes

Further parcels were soon discovered, leading to Nottinghamshire Police seizing the largest haul of crystal meth in the force’s history.

More than £7million worth of the stimulant drug was smuggled into the UK on an ‘industrial and unprecedented scale’, detectives said.

A court heard the gang members raked in hundreds of thousands of pounds on a monthly basis as a result of their multi-million pound drugs operation.

They would use addresses to ship drugs disguised in shipping labels as a weight loss powder, furniture, clothing and motorcycle helmets.

Gang leaders would use their ill-gotten gains used to fund luxury holidays and trips to places such as Thailand, Dominican Republic, Dubai, Central America and the Greek Islands.

The gang members also spent large sums on designer clothing – including a pair of £1,200 trainers – and high-value watches.

Nottinghamshire Police worked with the United States Department of Homeland Security and the US Embassy to bust the drugs ring.

More than £7million worth of the stimulant drug was smuggled into the UK on an ‘industrial and unprecedented scale’, detectives said

Gang leaders would use their ill-gotten gains used to fund designer clothing – including a pair of £1,200 trainers – and high-value watches

Nine defendants entered guilty pleas to importing class A and class B drugs at Nottingham Crown Court in January and were sentenced today.

James, of Sherwood, Nottingham, was jailed for 17 years while Thomas, of Gedling, Notts., was imprisoned for 11-and-a-half years.

Raymond, of Bilborough, Nottingham, was jailed for 45 months and Taylor, of St Ann’s, Nottingham, received a prison sentence of seven-and-a-half years.

Jesse Kolo, of Dagenham, was an office manager who abused his access to his employer’s courier account to create false shipping labels that disguised the contents of parcels.

He was jailed for five years and four months.

Lavontie Cameron, 26, of St Ann’s, Nottingham, was jailed for 38 months for assisting the gang by meeting with parcel recipients.

Taisha Chalmers, 29, of Basford, Nottingham, was handed an 18-month community order for moving drugs across Nottingham.

Gang members used addresses to ship drugs to disguised in shipping labels as a weight loss powder, furniture, clothing and motorcycle helmets

Nine defendants entered guilty pleas to importing class A and class B drugs at Nottingham Crown Court in January and were sentenced today

James, of Sherwood, Nottingham (pictured) was jailed for 17 years 

Gym instructor Jabari Smith, 30, of Top Valley, Nottingham was tasked with sourcing addresses for deliveries.

He was handed an 18-month community order including 80 hours of unpaid work.

Bryony Hajman, 25, of Mansfield, Notts., allowed her address to be used to receive two shipments from the United States and passed them on to a co-defendant.

She received an 18-month community order including 50 hours of unpaid work.

Following the sentencings, Detective Inspector Ian Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: ‘This has been an exhaustive investigation which has culminated in almost 50 years of prison sentences.

‘This is a true testament the hard work and dedication by officers from a number of Nottinghamshire Police departments, not least the serious and organised crime division.

‘Together with UK Border Force, we have wiped out an organised criminal group, preventing them from continuing to gain extreme profits.

Nottinghamshire Police worked with the United States Department of Homeland Security and the US Embassy to bust the drugs ring (Pictured: Jesse Kolo, who was jailed for five years and four months, being arrested)

Detective Inspector Ian Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, described their investigation as ‘exhaustive’, culminating in nearly 50 years of prison sentences and the largest haul of crystal meth seized in the force’s history

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‘Drugs on this scale invariably lead to further criminality including violence and acquisitive crime so to seize this quantity of drugs and secure a plethora of convictions is an excellent result.

‘All nine defendants entered guilty plea and that is testament to the exceptional work of the investigation team in unpicking this major drugs conspiracy and bringing each and every offender operating in this conspiracy to justice.

‘Drugs trafficking encourages a culture of violence and addiction and today’s result sends a clear message to those who blight our communities in this way.

‘Criminal gangs operating will not be tolerated and we will find you and we will prosecute you.

‘We are now pursuing powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act to ensure that any property, cash or profits gained through this gang’s criminal activity are identified and seized.’

Monique Wrench, Border Force Director of UK operations, added: ‘Border Force officers are dedicated to protecting the border and working to keep the public safe from harmful substances.

‘We will continue to work closely with Nottinghamshire Police to stop illegal drugs from entering our communities and to bring those responsible to justice.’

A Proceeds of Crime hearing is due to take place in September.