DRUG smuggler Graham Ellis used a haulage firm as a front to bring class A drugs into the country.

Southend-based firmEl-Trans, run by Ellis, 56, and his 36-yearold son Gareth, employed Gary Malone, 44, as a driver.

The Met Police’s organised crime command launched an investigation into the firm, which revealed the company was just a cover for the importation of cocaine and heroin in commercial amounts.

The drugs were then passed on to organised criminal groups for distribution.

On July 2, 2014, Malone travelled back to the UK, via Dover, where he drove to the Titan Lorry Park, in Thurrock.

The next morning, Gareth Ellis arrived at the lorry park accompanied by Ian Hall, 35, who had travelled down from Wigan.

Later that day, Hall was stopped by police on the M1 and found to be in possession of 9kgs of heroin and 3kgs of cocaine.

A week later, on July 11, Malone was stopped by police at the Dartford Crossing on his way back from Dover.

Police searched the lorry and found a sophisticated “hide”

within what was made to look like the vehicle’s battery.

In it was found 14kgs of high purity cocaine and the Ellis father and son team was subsequently arrested in the early hours of July 11 at their home addresses.

A rented industrial unit in Rawreth was then searched and a number of high-value vehicles were found, which included a racing car worth 120,000 Euros, and a part-built drag racer designed to be the fastest in Europe.

Graham Ellis, a drag racer who broke his neck and back during qualifying for the 2013 National Finals at the Santa Pod Raceway, Bedfordshire, is known to have already spent £97,000 on the custom-built car.

The industrial unit was further searched and almost £50,000 in cash was found under the floorboards.

In total, 26kgs of high grade cocaine and heroin, with a street value of £3.5million, was recovered as a result of the operation.

Ellis was successful drag racer PROLIFIC smuggler Graham Ellis was a successful drag racer with an ambition to build the fastest car in Europe.

He raced in the Pro Modified class, regularly exceeding 230mph in his specially-manufactured cars.

He suffered a serious crash in September, 2013, while driving his customised Plymouth Superbird which veered off track and was sent into a barrel roll at about 165mph.

He broke his neck, back, arm, collar bone, and skull but, judging by the vehicles found when police searched his industrial unit in Rawreth, he was still intent on pushing the boundaries of what was possible in a drag racer.

Ellis, a former biker, became interested in drag racing in the late Seventies and entered his first race soon afterwards, in a car which he named Ethiopian Chicken.

He worked his way through the UK and European classes of drag racing until in 2008 he entered the Pro Modified class for the first time.

His son Gareth was known to enjoy drag racing and may himself have been targeting driving the car they had in production.

! To see a video of Ellis’s crash, visit www.youtube.com/watch?

v=dFEOAhtejLw