Drugs gang hid cocaine in travel books to export abroad

Wildlife and travel books were used by a Peterborough gang to conceal shipments of cocaine destined for Australia.

Troy Batchelor, Luke Mills and James Kulesza have now all been jailed following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) which prevented more than 12kg of Class A drugs from leaving UK shores.

At the beginning of 2025, ERSOU investigators identified illicit consignments being dispatched from several locations across Peterborough and Stamford. 

Working with colleagues from Border Force, four suspicious shipments were identified and confirmed as books with cocaine hidden inside.

Enquiries established an additional three parcels had reached Australia, where customs teams seized further drugs. 

Evidence from searches

On 20 March 2025, Batchelor, Mills and Kulesza were arrested during simultaneous search warrants.

Items seized during the searches included an extendable baton and a firearm.

Several mobile phones were also recovered, which provided further clues and led officers to an address in Blackbush Drove, Whittlesey.

At this location, outbuildings and commercial units were searched and a further 8.8kg of cocaine was discovered along with several Lonely Planet travel books, with tampered covers.

Guilty

All three suspects were charged and went on to enter pleas at Cambridge Crown Court.

Batchelor, 49, of Peterborough Road, Whittlesey, and Mills, 46, of Lincoln Road, Peterborough both admitted to being concerned in evading the prohibition on exportation of cocaine.

On Friday 6 February 2026, Batchelor was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. Mills was jailed for four years.

Kulesza, 46, of Warwick Road, Peterborough pleaded guilty to a separate charge, of participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group. He was sentenced to two years and a month.

Detective Sergeant James Paget of ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit said:

“This case demonstrates the considerable lengths to which criminal gangs will pursue to mask their activities and move harmful Class A drugs across international borders. "Through meticulous investigative work and close collaboration with our partners, we were able to intercept these consignments and prevent a substantial quantity of cocaine from reaching Australia. “While the individuals were convicted for their roles in exporting drugs, our wider investigation also identified links to drug importation activity, highlighting the broader criminal capabilities of this organised crime group. "Disrupting networks such as this remains a priority, and these sentences reflect our determination to hold those involved in the supply of drugs to account."