A 999 call from a farmer who was shocked to find 189kg of drugs worth £15 million in his feed delivery led to the conviction of two men.

The farmer made the shock discovery in a delivery in April 2022 to a farm near Bridgwater.

It prompted an investigation by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) which led to Varun Bhardwaj, 39, and Anand Tripathi, 61, being found guilty of importing cocaine, cannabis and cigarettes into the UK hidden in shipments of perishable goods after a 71-day trial at Isleworth Crown Court which finished in December last year.

The pair imported class A and B drugs with a street value of £28.9 million and were jailed for 19 and 15 years.

However, bosses at SWROCU and the CPS appealed the sentences on the grounds they were unduly lenient.

Now, after a hearing at the Court of Appeal in London on June 20, longer prison terms have been handed down to both men.

Bhardwaj’s sentence was increased from 19 to 23 years and Tripathi’s from 15 to 20 years.

Their conviction came after the shipping container received by the Somerset farmer was found to contain 189 kilos of cocaine with a street value of more than £15m.

The container had been shipped from Columbia to London Gateway Port.

Tatab Ltd, a customs clearing agent based in Hounslow, was inextricably linked to the importation and transport of this illegal shipment.

Anand Tripathi was the director and company secretary of Tatab – a company that facilitates the import and export of goods.

Varun Bhardwaj, who tried to distance himself from Tatab saying he had limited involvement with the company, was found to be the operations manager and reported to Tripathi.

Bhardwaj also owned and drove a Range Rover with the personalised registration plate TA07 TAB (TATAB).

Tatab was just one of a number of companies created or run by Tripathi and Bhardwaj to try to conceal their illegal activities.

Police said the pair played a game of smoke and mirrors – setting up bogus businesses and using pseudonyms in order to cover their tracks and distance themselves from the illegal imports.

In November 2022, they were arrested.

Varun Bhardwaj and Anand Tripathi have seen their sentences increased. Picture: SWROCU

At the same time, the UK Border Force was holding another container at the Port of Felixstowe linked to the men.

This time the shipment contained oranges from South Africa and on inspection 49 kilos of cocaine were discovered and seized with a street value of almost £4m.

The investigation, which was supported by the Metropolitan Police, UK Border Force, HMRC and the NCA, then linked the pair with a further two shipments dating back to September 2021 and January 2022 where cocaine and cannabis were hidden inside containers of yams.

In addition to the drugs, between February and October 2022 Tripathi and Bhardwaj imported three shipments of cigarettes – a total of 18,680,000 cigarettes – in containers of Bombay mix, coir fibre and biscuits, with the two men evading the £9.7m excise and customs duty.

DCI Adam Smith, from SWROCU, said: “We are pleased that the appeal was successful and that the discounts applied to their original sentences were reviewed.

“Both men were importing huge amounts of drugs that would have been destined for onward sale by organised criminals across the country. Working with key law enforcement partners and the CPS, we were able to evidence the true nature of their importation business and the scale they were operating at.

“The new sentences handed down to both men now truly reflect that.”

All after a shock discovery by a Somerset farmer…