The leader of an organised crime group (OCG) who used fake NHS vans to transport hundreds of kilograms of class A drugs in South Wales and Liverpool and was extradited from Thailand has been jailed for 20 years.

Ritesh Patel, 43, was head of the OCG who utilised a network of criminal couriers to transport controlled drugs and cash throughout the UK using Taxi Cabs, Commercial Vehicles, and vans posing as NHS vehicles in order minimise any interception from law enforcement agencies.

This OCG was responsible for the supply of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin throughout the United Kingdom all orchestrated from their various bases in Dubai, Southern Spain, Liverpool and the South Wales area.

The OCG went to great lengths to avoid detection constructing complex and sophisticated hides in courier vehicles, to conceal the drugs and the millions of pounds in cash being transported around the UK. Patel and his OCG used a series of safe houses in Cardiff Bay, Radyr, Newport and Liverpool to conceal, count and package millions of pounds in cash to be passed to the importers of the drugs to pay the OCG’s collective bill.

Patel was instrumental in orchestrating the setting up of a company known as Mr Recovery, purchasing a recovery truck and other stash vehicles with sophisticated hides, to transport millions of pounds and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin from Liverpool into South Wales.

The OCG headed up by Patel was an extremely well organised criminal business with direct links to the suppliers abroad. The members of this OCG went to great lengths to conceal their criminality and minimise any chances of being exposed which was especially important during the covid lockdowns. The setting up of the recovery truck business and the van disguised as an NHS Patient Transport van being examples of this.

Caroline Hughes, Specialist Prosecutor in the Crown Prosecution Service’s Serious Economic and Organised and International Directorate, said: “Ritesh Patel is a career criminal who prior to this conviction had served a significant sentence for conspiracy to supply drugs. Having been released from that sentence it didn’t take long for him to start offending again in exactly the same way.

“He thought that by being based in Dubai, outside of our jurisdiction, his offending would never catch up with him. However, when he travelled from Dubai to Thailand and was arrested for using a fake passport our criminal justice counterparts in Thailand acted swiftly in assisting us with the extradition proceedings which resulted in his return to the UK to face justice. 

“The supply of drugs is motivated by greed. It is a lucrative business for those involved. The drugs which are eventually supplied to the people using them have disastrous consequences for themselves and their families and the community: vast amount of crimes are committed by users of these drugs to obtain money to buy them”.  

Building the case:
The evidence in the case originates from EncroChat messages sent by organised crime groups, with South Wales Police investigating the supply of drugs into Wales. The messages were sent between encrypted devices, which users thought were not traceable. However, the criminal communications network has been dismantled by law enforcement and users were traced and used as evidence of their criminal acts.

Messages from Patel to other members of the OCG were used to demonstrate how he orchestrated the operations, such as organising for drugs and cash to be distributed across Cardiff, Newport and other areas in South Wales.

Patel was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service in June 2022. Later in the month he was arrested in Thailand for having a fraudulent passport. The CPS applied to extradite him from Thailand. 

A Thai court ruled that Patel could be extradited. This ruling was   appealed by Patel, but in August 2025 a final extradition order was made and Patel was returned to the UK in October 2025.
Patel was formally charged for his role in the conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin. He pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court to both counts and was sentenced on 16 March 2026 to 20 years imprisonment.

Detective Chief Inspector Lloyd Williams, of Tarian ROCU said, “This sentence is the result of outstanding partnership working between Tarian ROCU, the NCA and the CPS, and reflects the seriousness of Patels’ offending.

“He was responsible for distributing staggering quantities of Class A drugs across the communities of southern Wales and thought he could avoid the law by hiding in a foreign country.

“By bringing Patel to justice we have shown Tarian’s commitment to tackling serious and organised crime impacting upon our region. We will continue to pursue offenders and put them before the courts.”