A drug lord who fled the UK and tried to turn professional boxer in Thailand has been jailed for 14 years.
Ben Ransom hid cocaine and ketamine at his home in Wickford, Essex, and sold it in bulk to dealers across England.
The 29-year-old was arrested at a restaurant in Phuket, where he was living a lavish lifestyle, and later admitted his crimes in court.
Sentencing him at Basildon Crown Court, Judge Shawlock said: “You were organizing, buying and selling on a commercial scale.”
Ransome was the final piece of the puzzle in the police investigation into his drug network, which saw four other people jailed in total.
“This is the largest drug operation ever undertaken by Essex Police,” Detective Inspector Yoni Adler said.
In September 2024, the Royal Thai Police arrested Ransom as he left a restaurant [Essex Police]
When Thai police found Ransom, he was living in a luxury apartment and participating in boxing matches under the alias “Billy Roberts.”
In March 2022, several of his drug dealers were arrested and fled the UK.
Inspector Adler said: “He watched us take down each of his associates one by one.
“When he realized the network was being shut down and he could face arrest, he simply ran away.
“He’s been ticking ever since – it was only a matter of time before he faced the odds.”
“Great supply”
Ransom was first tracked by police in February 2022 after he left his home in Ethelred Gardens, Wickford, and handed the drugs to one of his couriers.
The courier was 42-year-old Charlie Lancaster. Police tracked him and found that he had 200 kilograms (the 31st kilogram) of cocaine worth £900,000. He was jailed for six years.
Ransom fled the next month to Malaga, Spain, and then to Thailand, while police continued to arrest people in his network.
Police saw Ransom hand over £900,000 worth of cocaine to one of his couriers [Essex Police]
Those arrested include a drug-dealing mother and son and a male police officer, who are believed to have handled £20m of drugs in one month.
Another man transported Ransom’s drugs from Essex to dealers in Birmingham, Southampton and Sheerness, Kent, all in one day.
“The high availability of illicit substances has undoubtedly contributed to the widespread violence, threats and use of weapons,” Detective Inspector Adler added.
Ransom was tracked by police to Thailand as he continued to withdraw money from his bank account.
Police, along with the National Crime Agency and the Royal Thai Police, arrested him at a restaurant in Phuket on September 2, 2024.
[Essex Police]
He was subsequently remanded for 311 days in Bang Kwang, which his barrister described as “one of the most notorious prisons in the world”, before being extradited to the UK in July.
Ransome admitted conspiracy to supply ketamine and cocaine and, in September 2025, supply cocaine and possess criminal property.
The defendant appeared in court via video link from HMP Chelmsford.
After the hearing, Detective Sergeant Morgan Cronin said: “This work has effectively disrupted a multi-million pound black market industry.
“This is a clear demonstration of our commitment to tackling the illegal drug supply from the top down.”
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