An Irish-born drugs baron has been found guilty of being the British boss of a major international cocaine smuggling operation.
Brian Brendan Wright (60) was found guilty yesterday of conspiracy to evade prohibition on the importation of a controlled drug and conspiracy to supply drugs.
The jury at Woolwich Crown Court deliberated on the two-month case for almost 25 hours and returned guilty verdicts on both counts by 10-2 majorities.
Several members of Wright's family who were in the public gallery burst into tears as the guilty verdicts were returned.
Judge Peter Moss said he would not pass sentence until today, having read health reports.
The scale of Wright's criminal network was enormous, masterminding the organisation which oversaw the shipment of the class A drug, worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
The probe was sparked in 1996 when a yacht named the Sea Mist was discovered off course in Cork carrying 599kg of cocaine, with a street value of £80 million.
A police investigation "without parallel" broke up what was a major international drugs organisation responsible for the shipment of tonnes of cocaine from South America using luxury yachts, for distribution in Britain, as well as money-laundering.
Wright was well-known in horseracing and comedian Jim Davidson was called to testify during Wright's two-month trial at Woolwich Crown Court. The prosecution said Wright used horseracing as a "facade" to disguise the real source of his wealth - drug smuggling.
A statement by Customs released after the case said: "UK Customs investigators, working hand-in-hand with their counterparts in the United States, succeeded in dismantling what is probably the most sophisticated and successful global cocaine trafficking organisation ever to target the UK.
"This has resulted in successful prosecutions at all levels of the conspiracy, from the Colombian suppliers, to the transporters, to the members of the UK distribution network and ultimately the head of that network, Brian Brendan Wright, before the courts."
Operation Extend led officers on a trail spanning Ireland, the Caribbean, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Australia, France, South Africa, Switzerland, Spain and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.
An 11-year investigation saw 19 convictions worldwide, excluding that of Wright. There were seven trials, one of which lasted 14 months, making it the longest Customs trial yet and at the time, the second-longest trial in English criminal history.
The head of the British drugs operation was identified as Brian Wright, nicknamed "The Milkman" because he always delivered.
Wright, whose main address was in Chelsea, west London, denied the allegations - but he was yesterday found guilty of conspiracy to evade prohibition on the importation of a controlled drug and conspiracy to supply drugs.
- (PA)