Inside UK police force’s genius trick to bring down ‘Breaking Bad’ cartel drug gang

Norwich: So, you won’t believe what happened! The UK police pulled off this wild operation to catch a Mexican drug cartel. They were bringing in crystal meth, and it was a big deal.

The whole thing was featured on Channel 4’s show, 24 Hours in Police Custody. It was like a real-life episode of Breaking Bad! The Eastern Region Special Operations Unit set up this sneaky trap to catch the gang flooding the UK with drugs.

They intercepted a package at Stansted Airport that had nearly a kilo of cocaine hidden in a boat part. Instead of just busting the operation right there, they swapped the real drugs for fake ones and let the package go to a fancy house in Norwich.

When the police moved in, they found Axel Cruz, a tattoo artist, living it up in that luxury pad. They searched the place and discovered a whopping 11.8 kilos of crystal meth, worth about £1.2 million!

Cruz tried to play it cool, claiming he had no idea what was going on. He even said it was all just a “big coincidence.” But in the end, he pleaded guilty and got 16 years in prison.

Detective Chief Inspector Mike Birch said it’s worrying to see cartels trying to get a foothold in the area. They just want to flood the market with their drugs, and that’s a huge concern for everyone.