A drug dealer involved in orchestrating a warehouse arson attack, ordered by Russian authorities to disrupt aid efforts for Ukraine, has received a 17-year prison sentence.

Dylan Earl, 21, pleaded guilty to violating the National Security Act due to the incident that took place on March 20, 2024, at industrial facilities in Leyton, east London.

He was convicted alongside five accomplices who also played roles in the conspiracy.

The Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command uncovered that Earl, hailing from Leicestershire, was operating under the directives of the Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary unit designated by the UK government as a terrorist organization. This case marks the inaugural prosecution under the National Security Act 2023.

The five other individuals who received sentences were: