Cocaine kingpin who fled to Thailand is jailed

A drugs kingpin who fled the UK and tried to reinvent himself as a prizefighting boxer in Thailand has been jailed for 14 years.

Ben Ransome stashed cocaine and ketamine at his home in Wickford, Essex, and sold it in bulk to dealers across England.

The 29-year-old was arrested at a restaurant on the island of Phuket - where he was living a life of luxury - and later admitted his crimes in court.

Sentencing him at Basildon Crown Court, Judge Siew Loke said: "You were organising, buying and selling on a commercial scale."

Ransome was the final piece of the puzzle for police investigating his drug network, with four other people jailed in total.

"This has been the biggest drugs operation Essex Police has ever run," said Det Insp Yoni Adler.

When police in Thailand found Ransome, he was living in a luxury apartment and took part in boxing bouts under the alias "Billy Roberts".

He fled the UK in March 2022 after a number of his drug couriers were arrested.

• How detectives found a cocaine kingpin hiding in Thailand

Det Insp Adler said: "He watched as we took down each of his associates, one by one.

"When he realised the net was closing and he likely faced arrest, he simply ran away.

"He's remained on a ticking clock ever since – it was only a matter of time before he faced the music."

Ransome was first traced by officers leaving his home in Ethelred Gardens, Wickford, and handing over drugs to one of his couriers in February 2022.

That courier, 42-year-old Charlie Lancaster, was followed by police who found he had 200kg (31st) of cocaine, worth £900,000. He was jailed for six years.

Ransome fled to Malaga in Spain the following month and then to Thailand, while police continued to arrest people within his network.

The arrests included a drug-dealing mother and son duo and a man officers believed to have handled £20m of drugs in a single month.

Another had delivered Ransome's drugs from Essex to dealers in Birmingham, Southampton and Sheerness, Kent, all in one day.

"This vast supply in illegal substances doubtless fuelled extensive violence, threats and the use of weapons," added Det Insp Adler.

Ransome was traced to Thailand by police as he continued to withdraw money from his bank account.

In conjunction with the National Crime Agency and Royal Thai Police, officers arrested him at a restaurant in Phuket on 2 September 2024.

He then spent 311 days on remand at what his barrister described as "one of the world's most infamous prisons" - Bang Kwang - before being extradited to the UK in July.

Ransome admitted conspiracy to supply ketamine and cocaine, supplying cocaine and possession of criminal property in September 2025.

The defendant appeared at his sentencing via video link from HMP Chelmsford,

After the hearing, Det Ch Supt Morgan Cronin said: "This work has effectively disrupted a multi-million-pound black market industry.

"It's clear evidence that we're focused on tackling illegal drug supply from the top down."

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