Three men at the center of one of the UK’s largest illegal nitrous oxide importation schemes have been sentenced to prison after a wide-reaching investigation revealed their elaborate money-making operation. The trio—twin brothers Benjamin and Thomas Richardson, both 38, from Barlby, North Yorkshire, and Carl Messen, 58, from Doncaster—imported a staggering 91,350,000 canisters of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, between May 2016 and December 2018. Their activities, which dwarfed legitimate imports by major coffee chains, were uncovered by the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit (YHROCU), according to reporting from BBC and Metro.
To mask their illicit trade, the gang set up a web of fake companies with names that hinted at legitimate catering businesses. According to the Daily Mail, these shell firms included Worldwide Coffee Traders Ltd, Barista Distribution Ltd, Catering Pantry International Ltd, and Caterlink International Ltd. The intention was clear: to disguise their sole trade in nitrous oxide, which is legally used in medicine and as a propellant in whipped cream dispensers in the catering industry. However, the scale of their operation was anything but ordinary. Over the two-year period, they imported almost 24 times more canisters than the combined 3.8 million brought in by Costa and Starbucks for legitimate use.
The group’s efforts to cover their tracks extended beyond clever company names. Investigators from YHROCU discovered that more than £16.7 million flowed through the network of companies, with over £12 million deposited in cash. The money laundering operation was as sophisticated as it was lucrative. A now-infamous selfie, taken by Thomas Richardson and published by Metro, shows him grinning in front of a towering pile of bundled banknotes—a symbol of the gang’s ill-gotten gains.
The law surrounding nitrous oxide changed in 2016, making it illegal to supply or import the gas if it was likely to be consumed for its psychoactive effect. The substance, while used safely in dentistry and catering, can cause serious harm when abused recreationally. Heavy use is linked to neurological damage and even death due to the risk of suffocation or unconsciousness from oxygen deprivation. BBC notes that the law tightened further in 2023, when nitrous oxide was classified as a class C drug.
The Richardson brothers and Messen, however, showed little regard for these legal changes. As Ramona Senior, head of operations at YHROCU, told the Daily Mail, “This was an organised enterprise whose sole purpose was importing a psychoactive substance into the UK to be used illegally. Despite it being made illegal, this group continued to trade in nitrous oxide while fully knowing its ultimate use was to be sold as a drug.” She added, “They made vast profits from their activities and structured their businesses in a way that tried to conceal their activities and to launder their ill-gotten income.”
The group’s downfall began when investigators noticed the extraordinary volume of nitrous oxide being brought into the country under the guise of catering supplies. According to Metro, the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit stated, “This was an organised enterprise whose sole purpose was importing a psychoactive substance into the UK to be used illegally.” The authorities’ painstaking work traced the money trail and linked the fake companies directly to the illegal trade.
The case culminated in a 12-week trial at Leeds Crown Court, where all three men were convicted. Benjamin Richardson was found guilty of conspiracy to import a psychoactive substance, money laundering, and possessing criminal cash. He received a sentence of six years and two months. His twin, Thomas Richardson, was convicted of the same charges and jailed for five years and eight months. Carl Messen, who was also convicted of conspiracy to import a psychoactive substance and money laundering, received a sentence of three years and two months, according to the Daily Mail and BBC. (Some outlets reported Messen’s sentence as three years and six months, but the predominant figure cited was three years and two months.)
The impact of the gang’s activities was not just financial. Law enforcement officials emphasized the broader harm caused by the widespread availability of nitrous oxide for recreational use. “Our dedicated team of investigators at the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit successfully demonstrate to the court that this was an unlawful enterprise making millions while fuelling harm and misery in our communities and further afield. I’m pleased that the sentences reflect the severity of their actions,” Ramona Senior said, as quoted by Metro.
The case also highlights the challenges faced by authorities in keeping pace with evolving drug trends and the ingenuity of criminal enterprises. With nitrous oxide’s legitimate uses in medicine and catering, the line between legal and illegal importation can be blurry. The gang exploited this ambiguity, but their sheer scale eventually gave them away. According to BBC, the companies created by the trio had no real business beyond the importation and distribution of nitrous oxide. Their activities were “entirely devoted to the illegal trade,” investigators concluded.
Prosecutors and police alike stressed the importance of the convictions as a deterrent to others. The sentences handed down on August 29, 2025, mark a significant victory for law enforcement, but also a warning about the dangers of so-called “legal highs” and the potential for abuse of substances with legitimate industrial or medical uses.
As the dust settles on the case, efforts to recover the proceeds of crime continue. Authorities have indicated that financial investigations remain ongoing, with the aim of stripping the gang of any remaining illicit profits. The hope, law enforcement officials say, is to send a clear message: the days of hiding behind bogus businesses and exploiting legal loopholes are numbered.
This story, bringing together the findings and reporting of Metro, BBC, and the Daily Mail, offers a sobering reminder of the scale and sophistication of modern drug trafficking operations—and the persistent efforts of law enforcement to bring those responsible to justice.
