"Good day at the office, lads": Watch dealer congratulate officers who found £1m of drugs in his boot
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This is the moment we opened a car boot to find more than £1m of drugs – after the driver led our officers on a 120mph pursuit on the M5 in the West Midlands.
The discovery, one of the biggest of its kind in the region in recent times, was made after officers from the Road Crime Team tried to stop the black Peugeot 3008, which was believed to be linked to drugs.
They tried to pull the car over, but driver David Sherratt, aged 48, sped off, hitting speeds of up to 120mph on the southbound stretch of the motorway before heading on to the M42 as it was pursued by officers and the police helicopter.
Sherratt’s vehicle was stung, and lost a tyre, before it was boxed in and Sherratt arrested on the M42 near Alvechurch.
In the boot of the car were Sports Direct bags, each carrying 18kg of cocaine. The total wholesale value was up to £1.3m.
He told officers that the seizure was “not a bad day.” Sherratt was seen smashing an object against the dashboard.
It was later found to be his phone, in an apparent attempt to destroy evidence.
But when we examined his phone, messages showed he had been involved in the collection of a further 135kg of drugs – worth up to £5m in total. He would deliver them to customers around the country, earning up to £200 per kilo delivered – and was expecting to earn £20,000 in just six weeks for his work.
At Birmingham Crown Court last Monday, Sherratt, of no fixed address, was jailed for 12 years and nine months after admitting being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possessing the drug with into to supply, and dangerous driving.
Sherratt has 12 convictions for 19 offences dating back to 1995. He was jailed for six years in 2016 for conspiracy to supply class A drugs, and more than four years in 2020 for further drugs offences.
Det Ch Insp Peter Cooke, of the Regional Organised Crime Unit for the West Midlands, said: “This is a major recovery of drugs that would have ultimately been sold on the streets of the UK and caused untold misery.
“Sherratt’s attempt to get away from our officers was dangerous and put other road users at risk, but great work by the Road Crime Team meant the pursuit was brought to a safe conclusion.
“He played a significant role in the distribution of drugs around the country, but will now be spending years behind bars.”
Road Crime Team officers target criminals involved in car key burglaries and other serious and organised crime.
They use unmarked, high-performance cars – as well as distinctive Interceptors – to pursue and arrest criminals.
They support the work of Operation Target, which is our 24/7 mission to disrupt and arrest those involved in guns, drugs, exploitation and more.