Ben Ransome, 29, was at the top of a criminal network which sold drugs in bulk across southeast England and was finally jailed after being extradited from Thailand
A drug baron from Essex who masterminded the distribution of millions of pounds worth of cocaine and ketamine has been jailed.
Ben Ransome, 29, headed a criminal enterprise that flogged drugs in large quantities throughout southeast England. He was arrested on the Thai island of Phuket, where he’d attempted to reinvent himself as a boxer going by the name ‘Billy Roberts’. Ransome was brought back to the UK in July and pleaded guilty to multiple drug-related offences.
The criminal is the last piece of a major crime syndicate to be prosecuted. Ransome will spend 14 years in prison, joining numerous other gang members and clients who have also been jailed.
“He watched as we took down each of his associates, one by one,” Detective Inspector Yoni Adler said. “At an early stage, when he realised the net was closing and he likely faced arrest, he simply ran away, seeking to disappear and start a new life abroad. He’s remained on a ticking clock ever since – it was only a matter of time before he faced the music.”
Ransome fled during one of the biggest series of linked investigations ever carried out by Essex Police. He was in charge of orchestrating the supply of enormous amounts of Class A and B drugs throughout the southeast of England, reports Essex Live.
The police were able to trace back to February 2022, when Ransome left his residence in Ethelred Gardens in Wickford and handed a bag to an associate. The courier, Charlie Lancaster, 42, was trailed and intercepted by the police who discovered nine kilograms of cocaine, valued at approximately £900,000, in his vehicle.
He was subsequently sentenced to six years in prison.
Ransome absconded from the UK in March 2022, flying to Malaga in Spain but continued to orchestrate drug supply. By September 2024, he had relocated to Thailand, where he attempted to reinvent himself as a boxer on the island of Phuket under the ring name ‘Billy Roberts’.
While he was abroad, the police continued their crackdown on the crime group. Among those apprehended were a mother and son duo and Kieran Grant, 44, who is believed to have been involved in the distribution or collection of around £20m worth of drugs within a month.
The gang’s primary drug supplier, David Glover, 36, was supplied by Ransome. Glover received a 23-year prison sentence for his role in the conspiracy.
The law finally caught up with Ransome in September 2024, and he was eventually apprehended and extradited back to the UK in July this year. Here, he pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to supply cocaine and ketamine, possession of criminal property, and supplying a Class A controlled drug (cocaine).
This followed a complex investigation involving the National Crime Agency and Thai law enforcement.
Since the police investigation began, the key figures in Ransome’s criminal network have been handed a combined 50 years behind bars. Officers have recovered more than £1m in cash, seized almost 49kg of cocaine, and removed 20 firearms from the streets.
DI Adler said: “Ransome tried to turn a substantial profit by running a criminal enterprise that spanned across the southeast of England. This vast supply of illegal substances doubtless fuelled extensive violence, threats and the use of weapons associated with his drug-dealing customer base.
“Distanced from this untold harm as a wholesale supplier, Ransome worked at arm’s length, trying to make a comfortable living out of sight of the misery of the drugs trade.”
He added: “Criminals like Ransome fail to appreciate the extent of the reach and cooperative working of law enforcement both in Essex and the UK, and across the world. Huge credit for Ransome’s ultimate arrest should go to our exemplary partners in the National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau.
“Closer to home, the public in Essex should feel reassured that we have teams working across the force to tackle the trade in drugs that fuels further violent crime in their county. Through cases like this, we are making a difference.”
