Drug dealer who organized Russia-linked arson attack in UK jailed for 17 years

By Christian Edwards, CNN

London (CNN) — The ringleader of an arson attack on a Ukrainian-owned business in London last year was jailed for 17 years on Friday for what prosecutors called a “sustained campaign of terrorism and sabotage” on British soil.

Dylan Earl, 21, pleaded guilty to aggravated arson over the February 2024 blaze that targeted a company delivering internet terminals from Elon Musk’s Starlink to Ukraine. He had also admitted an offense under the National Security Act, which was introduced in the wake of Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine to “tackle threats that fall short of traditional spying and espionage.”

Jake Reeves, a 23-year-old accomplice of Earl’s, had also pleaded guilty to aggravated arson and a National Security Act charge. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Four others were convicted in July for their roles in the plot to burn down the warehouse on an industrial estate in east London on behalf of Wagner, a Russian mercenary group that has fought in Ukraine and is a proscribed terrorist organization in the UK.

CNN reported from the trial at London’s Old Bailey court this summer. Courtroom testimony and police evidence unveiled what experts said was a paradigmatic case of Russia’s “shadow” attacks on countries across Europe, in which Moscow has relied not on well-trained agents, but a network of low-level criminals: some sympathetic to Russia’s cause, others simply wanting payment.

Whereas during the Cold War espionage and sabotage required painstaking recruitment and planning, these operations now just require a few hours on Telegram and some cash. Analysts told CNN this tactic is a dark spin on the modern “gig” economy, with hostile actors offering on-demand, no-strings-attached work to a flexible workforce.

The sentencing of Earl and Reeves came after British police on Thursday arrested three men in their forties on suspicion of spying for Russia. Dominic Murphy, head of the Counter-Terrorism Policing London, said his force was seeing an increasing number of “proxies” being recruited by foreign intelligence services. In September, three others were arrested on the same charges.

Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence service, warned last year that Russia was on a campaign “to generate mayhem on British and European streets.” Analysts have said the campaign has aimed to show Europe that there are costs to supporting Ukraine.

The alleged attacks have included blazes at a shopping mall in Poland and an Ikea store in Lithuania, cyberattacks on Czech railways, and the vandalism of Jewish buildings in France. Russia has denied involvement.

Gabrielius Landsbergis, Lithuania’s former foreign minister, said trying to thwart the campaign felt like playing whack-a-mole: “You catch one and Russia easily replaces them with several others hired through Telegram.”

Hundreds of exchanges on social media, reviewed by CNN during the trial, showed how this new “gig economy” for sabotage functions. Earl, a drug dealer, contacted a now-defunct Telegram account called “Privet Bot,” which prosecutors said was associated with Wagner and between 2023 and 2024 encouraged people to join operations across Europe.

Within days of contacting the account, Earl – whose correspondence revealed sympathy for Russia’s war – had been given his first target for an arson attack, the warehouse owned by a Ukrainian man. Reeves, having spoken with Earl, then recruited others to help carry out the attack.

Nii Mensah was sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment for his role in the attack; Jakeem Rose received eight; and Ugnius Asmena received seven. Ashton Evans, who was involved with Earl in another plot to set fire to a London restaurant and kidnap its owner, was sentenced to nine years in prison. That plot was foiled in April 2024.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division of the Crown Prosecution Service, said the prosecution “marks a pivotal moment in our national security efforts.”

“This case demonstrates how vital the (National Security) Act is in protecting the UK from hostile state activity and ensuring those who seek to undermine our safety and security are held fully accountable,” he said.

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