A used car salesman from a tiny Norfolk village was the mastermind of a devious multi-million pound drugs plot that involved disguising couriers as Deliveroo drivers.
Robert Fuller, 50, hid in plain sight, playing the role of small-time businessman and affable neighbour while importing ‘vast’ amounts of cocaine and cannabis into the UK.
He planned to provide his runners with the fake food delivery uniforms or use recovery trucks to avoid attracting suspicion from police as they ferried the illicit substances around the country.
But the scheme fell apart when detectives managed to access the encrypted messaging service he was using, revealing he had imported £7million of drugs.
Detectives were closing in on Fuller when he fled to Bali – only to be arrested later as he tried to sneak back into the UK on a ferry.
He has now been jailed for 12 years after admitting conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
Robert Fuller, 50, hid in plain sight, playing the role of small-time businessman
Fuller planned to provide his runners with the fake food delivery uniforms
Anita Evans, a neighbour in Barton Turf where Fuller lived, told there was ‘nothing at all’ to indicate he was a drugs baron until police raided his modest home.
‘There was always talk about him but we didn’t know anything directly,’ she said.
‘We always thought he was just a bit of a dodgy care salesman, a wheeler dealer.’
Another neighbour, who asked not to be named, added: ‘We didn’t see much of him but he would give a friendly nod if you passed him.
‘The whole drugs thing is just mind-blowing. Barton Turf really is the last place you’d expect to find a drugs “kingpin”.’
Fuller built up his short-lived drug empire while renting a £170,000 bungalow in the picturesque village, which has a population of less than 500 and boasts the pretty church of St Michael and All Angels, which has stained glass windows.
It is close to Barton Broad, the second largest of the Norfolk Broads, a popular spot for sailing and other gentle water activities.
Fuller officially made his living as a director of Wensum Prestige and Performance Ltd, a dealership in Norwich that had mixed reviews from customers.
One car buyer claimed in a negative online review that police became involved after they were ‘harassed and threatened’ over a two-year period following a warranty dispute.
Behind the scenes, Fuller was involved in selling and distributing 159kg of cocaine worth £6.5million and 98kg of cannabis worth £364,000 between February 2019 and June 2020, Norwich Crown Court heard.
The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit continued its investigation and found Deliveroo uniforms in August 2021, as well as a vehicle with a secret compartment for stashing drugs
The clandestine operation fell apart when Dutch and French authorities smashed the EncroChat encrypted messaging service favoured by criminals, allowing international law enforcement agencies to lift the veil on thousands of offenders.
Exchanges found by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit revealed the father of four went by the username Quasifighter.
Discussions with associates mentioned the plan to issue his runners with the distinctive Deliveroo outfits or stash supplies within recovery vehicles.
Fuller also made enquiries about importing liquid cocaine from Peru, concealed in jars of asparagus, and buying a Russian Makarov handgun.
The proceeds of his burgeoning drug empire would be laundered through his business, he revealed.
Realising the game was up, Fuller fled to Bali in 2020 but ERSOU continued its investigation and found the Deliveroo uniforms in August 2021, as well as a vehicle with a secret compartment for stashing drugs.
He was finally arrested in January last year while trying to re-enter the UK after arriving on a ferry on Anglesey from the Republic of Ireland.
He admitted the drug offences in April and was sentenced on October 31.
Detective Inspector Jim Fincham, of ERSOU’s regional organised crime unit, said: ‘Robert Fuller was a high-level criminal who went to great lengths to mask his activity, using hides in vehicles and laundering the illicit cash through a car sales company.
‘Despite Fuller’s attempts to evade justice, our diligent investigators continued their enquiries after he had left the country and police were waiting the moment he arrived back in the UK. Our region is a safer place now he is behind bars.’
Wensum Prestige and Performance Ltd, formerly East Anglian Car Buyers Ltd, last filed accounts in September 2019 and is subject to an active proposal to be struck off, according to Companies House records.
There was no answer yesterday at two phone numbers listed for the firm. Its only other director resigned in February 2020 and could not be contacted.