Four jailed after £1m worth of cannabis found hidden in candles
The four men, from Merseyside and West Yorkshire, were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.Ian Hannah, 56, of Liverpool Road, Lydiate on Merseyside, was sentenced to four years and three months after he pleaded guilty.Steven Garbutt, 64, of Middleton Park Road, Leeds, was jailed for six years, while Raja Hamid Ali, 39, of Thornbury Ave, Bradford, was sentenced to five years and six months.Shahrukh Ali, 28, of Kenley Mount, Bradford, was also sentenced to four years.Det Insp McVeigh said: "The quantities of drugs being imported were significant and the group stood to make a great deal of money from selling it on the streets of Merseyside via other criminals."This is yet another example where cannabis is proven to be a drug with concrete links to serious organised crime, and in fact is not a harmless drug at all."
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Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit's backpacking lie unravelled when airport cops checked her bag
A Brit travelling home claiming to be a backpacker has had her lie exposed when Border Force at Manchester Airport found nearly 50kg of drugs crammed into her huge suitcase A woman heading back from a trip in Thailand, claiming to be a backpacker, had her lie exposed right in front of her when the border force opened her gigantic suitcase to find 50 kilos of cannabis. Lauren Martin of Worthing Street, Liverpool, made her way back from the Asian tourist destination to Manchester Airport on April 5, with her huge suitcase stuffed to the brim with 31 vacuum-sealed bags of the drugs. Just moments before she was busted, Border Force asked what was in the surprisingly large bag, to which she claimed was just clothes. But the team at Manchester Airport were still sceptical and would go on to find the 49 kilos. Appearing at Manchester Crown Court, a judge blasted Martin, telling her: "I have no idea what possessed you." Recounting her lies to the court, prosecutor Elizabeth Walker said: " She was arrested and interviewed, and told officers she went to Thailand for a week backpacking. 'She said she met two people in the hotel and went out to drink. One of them asked her to take some clothes back for their girlfriend. She said she was expecting to meet their partner at the airport, and didn't check the cases as she felt it wasn't right to do so.' Martin's defence Betsy Hindle mitigated by saying her client had an electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am and was receiving Universal Credit. The Manchester Evening News reported that Judge Paul Lawton was less than impressed, adding: "You say there was no reward in it for you, I'm not convinced that is true. I accept you were naïve and pressured by others.' 'You need to understand how perilously close you came to going to prison. If this had been anything other than class B, you would have been going to prison for years and years.' Pleading guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug, the judge believed Martin was capable of rehabilitation. He handed her a year-long prison sentence suspended for two years, along with 100 hours of unpaid community service. Martin had also been extremely lucky that her drug smuggling was found on the British side of her trip, with Thailand notorious for being tough on drug offences. If found guilty of drug smuggling, people can be sentenced to life imprisonment and even given the death penalty depending on the amount and type of substances. Jonathan Wheeler was issued a death sentence when he was caught smuggling 2kg of heroin worth £1m into Thailand in 1994 . He spoke to LBC about the rise in young Brits being targeted and groomed into becoming drug mules. Mr Wheeler said these drug gangs can spot exactly when holiday makers are running short on cash and can soon target them. He added: "People want more of that. The raves, the parties and all the rest of it. They want more of that. They [the gangs] are trying to be successful and make money to get another meal. They are trying to get you to do it again in the future. "They will target vulnerable people. They'll see that they're down on their luck and they're offering the run. They don't want to come home, so they think 'yeah, I'll take the chance."
North Wales Live
19 hours ago
- North Wales Live
Women tells Manchester Airport cops she had been to Thailand backpacking, then they checked her bag
A judge told a woman "I have no idea what possessed you" after she was caught bringing almost 50 kilos of cannabis into the UK. Lauren Martin was stopped by Border Force officers at Manchester Airport, after flying back from Thailand on April 5 this year. She was asked what was inside her large suitcase and Martin claimed it was just clothing. However further inspections by officers found 31 vacuum sealed bags of the class B drug, weighing a total of 49 kilograms, Manchester Crown Court heard. "She was arrested and interviewed, and told officers she went to Thailand for a week backpacking," said prosecutor Elizabeth Walker. "She said she met two people in the hotel and went out to drink. One of them asked her to take some clothes back for their girlfriend. She said she was expecting to meet their partner at the airport, and didn't check the cases as she felt it wasn't right to do so." In mitigation, Betsy Hindle said her client had been subject to an electronically monitored curfew from 7pm to 7am and was receiving Universal Credit. "I have no idea what possessed you to try and bring 49 kilos of cannabis into this country," said judge Paul Lawton: "You say there was no reward in it for you, I'm not convinced that is true. I accept you were naïve and pressured by others." He added: "You need to understand how perilously close you came to going to prison. If this had been anything other than class B, you would have been going to prison for years and years." Judge Lawton said he felt able to suspend the sentence as Martin was 'capable of rehabilitation'. Martin, of Worthing Street, Liverpool, was handed a 12 month prison term which was suspended for two years. She must also complete 100 hours of unpaid work. She had earlier pleaded guilty to being concerned in the fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of a class B drug.
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Two held on suspicion of murder after death of dad-of-five
Two men have bee held as part of a murder investigation into the death of a father-of-five. The body of Paul Smith, 40, who was also known as Smigger, was found at a property on Thirlmere Road in Everton, Liverpool, on was described by his family as an "amazing father" with a "huge heart". Two men from Liverpool, one 43 and one 60, are in custody for questioning. A post mortem examination is to be carried out to establish the cause of Mr Smith's death, Merseyside Police said. 'Contagious smile' In a tribute, Mr Smith's family said his children "adored him", adding he was "a loving, supportive partner and a devoted son, always striving to provide for his family". They added: "Paul had a huge heart. He was the life and soul of the party, charming and warm to everyone he met."He will be mourned and missed by many, friends and family alike." 'Full of love' His family also described him as a "loving brother" adding he devoted his time and love to supporting his elder and younger siblings. "He was the glue that bonded his siblings together with his contagious smile and crazy personality. "He will be greatly missed and forever remembered for being the outgoing loving sibling and son he was."Det Ch Insp Steve Ball said: "We are determined to find out exactly what happened, and I would urge anyone with information to come forward at the earliest opportunity so prompt action can be taken."If you live locally and saw or heard anything suspicious, or have since heard talk of what happened, speak to us."He added: "What seems like a trivial detail could be absolutely vital." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
