Clacton drug lord Jonathan Parkhill is jailed for 16 years
7th April
COURT
CRIME
CLACTON-ON-SEA

By Dami Adewale
Reporter

A DRUG lord branded the “Escobar of Essex” has been jailed for 16 years after he botched a £20 million cocaine operation by sending it to the wrong country.

Jonathan Parkhill, of Clacton, mistakenly sent 30kg of cocaine to South Africa when it was supposed to land in Germany.

Crime officers caught the 55-year-old red-handed through encrypted chat EncroChat as he hastily tried to rectify his blunder, which was seized in 2020.

Parkhill was arrested in Heathrow Airport in 2021 as he arrived home from Colombia, home of infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar.

Isleworth Crown Court heard another of his criminal efforts that year saw Parkhill and his ally Kevin Hanley, 44, smuggle more than £16million's worth of cocaine, about 500kg, to Belgium.

Hanley was later arrested at his home in Uxbridge where officers found a sawn-off shotgun.

Appearing before the court, Parkhill and Hanley admitted conspiracy to import cocaine as well as admitting a “string of other offences”.

Parkhill was sentenced to 16 years in prison while Hanley was locked up for 11-and-a-half years.

Prosecutors said: “In relation to the defendants, Mr Hanley could be described as Mr Parkhill’s subordinate in the operation.

“Conversations between the men show they were both involved in the supply of class A drugs, predominantly cocaine, around the world.

“Mr Parkhill had significant connections to Colombia, evidenced by his arrest taking place after returning from South America.”

Parkhill and Hanley had also attempted to get more than 500kg of cocaine, worth in excess of £19 million, into Belgium.

The court heard the money was due to be split between Colombian dealers and Parkhill but the deal went south.

Hanley, who was described by Parkhill as his “eyes” in Antwerp and was responsible for handling the deal, was savagely beaten for bungling it.

Recorder Andrew Campbell-Tiech said: “On the point of view of the defendants, both importations failed.”

The operation which led to the pair’s capture was led by the National Crime Agency alongside overseas partners.