UK Drug Kingpin sent down for 14 years despite barrister’s plea after one year at the ‘Bangkok Hilton’

December 25, 2025

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UK Drug Kingpin sent down for 14 years despite barrister’s plea after one year at the ‘Bangkok Hilton’

UK drug kingpin Ben Ransome, 29, is jailed for 14 years after running a £20m-a-year cocaine empire from Thailand. He was seized at a Phuket villa, spent a harsh year in the “Bangkok Hilton,” and lost a plea for leniency as prosecutors detailed his vast criminal network in the UK.

A 29-year-old British crime boss who ran a major drugs empire from Thailand between 2022 and 2024 has been jailed for fourteen years by a UK Crown Court. Elite Thai police arrested Ben Ransome at a luxury Phuket villa in 2024. He then spent more than a year in Thailand’s notorious Bang Kwang Prison, known as the “Bangkok Hilton,” before extradition. His barrister argued the ordeal warranted leniency, but the court at the same time heard Ransome controlled a £120-million-a-year cocaine network across southeast England. He fled the UK in 2022 as associates were jailed.

UK drug boss Ben Ransome, 29, ran a £20m-a-year cocaine empire from Thailand. Nabbed in Phuket, he spent a year in the ‘Bangkok Hilton’ before a 14-year sentence. (Source: Metro Co UK)

A British drugs trafficker who hid for years in Thailand has been jailed for 14 years. However, the sentence followed a long and complex investigation into millions of pounds worth of cocaine and ketamine. The defendant is 29-year-old Ben Ransome. Police said he ran a wholesale criminal network across the southeast of England. The group moved 200 kilograms of cocaine in less than two months in early 2022. In addition, they supplied ketamine worth £175,000 in that period.

Basildon Crown Court heard that the wholesale price of cocaine was £38,000 per kilogram. Therefore, the consignment had a value of £7.6 million. However, the street price of a kilogram can reach £100,000. That would have valued the drugs at £20 million. Prosecutors stated that Ransome sold drugs in bulk to dealers.

Furthermore, some of those customers were linked to firearms. Detectives confirmed that Ransome sat at the top of the organisation.

However, as the investigation closed in, Ransome fled the United Kingdom. He first travelled to Spain. Then he continued on to Thailand in March 2022. After that, he settled into a luxury villa on Phuket with a swimming pool. He also reinvented himself as a boxer. He fought under the name “Billy Roberts” while overseas.

A luxury life in Thailand could not hide the British ringleader directing vast drug consignments abroad

Meanwhile, police said he continued to direct the supply chain from abroad. He ordered couriers to move commercial quantities of cocaine. Essex Police later seized more than £1 million in cash. Furthermore, officers recovered nearly 50 kilograms of cocaine, valued at £1.8 million wholesale. They also seized 20 firearms during their wider investigation. Consequently, the case widened to include multiple conspiracies.

However, detectives dismantled the organisation around him. The main supplier was identified as 36-year-old David Glover. Prosecutors said Glover was supplied by Ransome. Meanwhile, investigators said Russell Dendle acted as Ransome’s right-hand man. Dendle was jailed for 12 years in 2022. In addition, couriers Kieran Grant and Tye Cook continued to receive instructions from Ransome until their arrests in March and May 2022.

Other conspirators included Charlie Lancaster and Jane Cook. Courts later imposed significant prison sentences on each of them. Moreover, Essex Police said the operation formed part of a gang supplying Class A drugs and guns across the county. In total, prison sentences in the wider case reached 85 years. However, Ransome remained at large.

Then, in September 2024, Thai officers arrested him. He was detained at a restaurant in the Rawai district of Phuket on September 2.

Certainly, the Central Investigation Bureau confirmed that he had been living on the island. The arrest followed a request from the UK National Crime Agency. The request sought his extradition for drug trafficking offences.

Arrest in Phuket unravels the network as authorities brought the fugitive back before a British court

However, he did not return to Britain immediately. He spent 311 days in Central Bangkok Prison during the extradition process. Defence barrister Jonathan Green told the court that the jail was known as “the Bangkok Hilton”. He said the nickname reflected the severe conditions.

Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi, just outside Bangkok, has an infamous reputation. A prison designed to hold 3,000 inmates holds 8,000 in conditions that are described as among the worst in the world.

Furthermore, he said Ransome had previously suffered complete bodily paralysis after taking nitrous oxide. He said his client needed to learn to walk again.

Eventually, Ransome pleaded guilty. He admitted to conspiracy to supply cocaine and ketamine. He also admitted conspiracy to possess criminal property and the supply of cocaine. On Tuesday, he appeared for sentencing at Basildon Crown Court. The judge imposed a 14-year prison term.

Prosecutors confirm he led the drugs empire even while living overseas under a new identity

However, prosecutors stressed that Ransome had always been in charge of his drug empire. Prosecutor Stephen Shay said Ransome led the organised criminal group throughout. He told the court that Dendle acted as second in command. Moreover, he confirmed that Ransome continued to direct Grant and Cook after leaving the UK. He said the defendant coordinated the wholesale movement of drugs across the southeast of England.

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Yoni Adler set out the police position. He said Ransome attempted to secure substantial profits from a criminal enterprise operating across the southeast of England.

Furthermore, he said the drugs supplied were linked to violence, threats and the use of weapons among buyers. He stated that Ransome operated at arm’s length from the retail market. However, he said the investigation dismantled the network piece by piece. He added that Ransome fled abroad once he realised arrests were imminent.

Meanwhile, the National Crime Agency highlighted the joint work behind the arrest. Daniel Newell, the NCA Regional Manager for Thailand, said Ransome ran a highly sophisticated operation. In addition, he claimed the defendant believed he could avoid prosecution by fleeing the country.

International cooperation finally corners the fugitive who ran a major UK drug network from abroad

However, he said cooperation between British and Thai authorities allowed them to track him down. He credited the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau, the Attorney General’s Office and the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs with supporting the extradition.

Earlier, the court heard the scale of the drug consignments. What stood out was the gang moving about 200 kilograms of cocaine in under two months in early 2022. Based on the street value, an annual turnover of up to £120 million was possible with a minimum of £50. In short, a major drug distribution operation that used violence.

Significantly, the police case developed over several years. Detectives tracked couriers, seized cash and monitored supply routes. Furthermore, they recovered firearms linked to the supply chain. Each arrest added pressure to the network. However, the leadership remained overseas until 2024. The arrest in Phuket ended the manhunt and signalled the collapse of the enterprise.

Extradition returns the gang leader to the UK as courts impose a lengthy sentence for drug crimes

Subsequently, the extradition process began. Thai officers acted on the British request. Of course, the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of the Royal Thai Police coordinated with British agencies. After nearly a year, Ransome was returned to the United Kingdom. He then entered guilty pleas.

During the hearing, the defence argued that conditions in Thai custody were severe. Counsel also pointed to the earlier medical incident. However, the court proceeded to sentence on the agreed facts. The judge imposed 14 years imprisonment.

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Overall, the operation supplied wholesale quantities of cocaine and ketamine. It generated cash, used firearms seizures and took multiple arrests at different levels to smash. After that, the case crossed borders and continued while the leader lived abroad. The investigation and police operation eventually brought him back to Britain. Therefore, the network’s leadership finaly joined its members in prison.