Three men who collectively smuggled over 31 KILOS of cocaine with a street value of over £1 million into Manchester Airport from the Caribbean have been jailed.
Devon Rowe, Baboucarr Nyang and Winston Andrew were sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday for their roles in a conspiracy that saw the drugs brought into Manchester Airport hidden in deconstructed suitcases on a number of occasions between June 18, 2018, and January 9, 2019, in what Judge Rachel Smith called a 'professional operation'.
The court heard how the group used Whatsapp to communicate with co-conspirators in the Caribbean, going by the names of 'John-John' and 'Kiddy JG' to transport over £1 million worth of 'low purity' cocaine into the UK via drug mules. The cocaine was then taken on to London for 'onward distribution'.
The trio were charged with conspiracy to import class A drugs following Andrew's arrival at Manchester Airport from Barbados on October 23, 2018. Prosecuting, Mr Beardmore explained how upon examination, Andrew's luggage was found to have almost three kilograms of secreted cocaine hidden between the struts in all three of his suitcases - worth a potential street value of £117,000.
Border force officers then apprehended Baboucarr Nyang, 49, in the Arrivals Hall of Terminal 2, where he was waiting to pick up Andrew, 55, and transport him to London. When questioned he said a friend had dropped him at the airport so he could 'just take a piss’. Phone calls found to have been made on the phone Nyang had on him when arrested showed he had been in contact with Devon Rowe, 43, who had asked him questions including 'What time is he arriving at the airport’.
Further instances of eight similar likely importations, in which Nyang and Rowe, both of no fixed abode, occupied the same roles as handlers and transporters, were then uncovered by the National Crime Agency (NCA). It was determined that the operation likely transported over 31 kilograms of cocaine into the UK across the incidents - which was estimated at a wholesale value of £480,000.
Following a trial the three men were found guilty. Andrew was today sentenced for a 'lesser role' due to his involvement for a period of just six weeks, to transport the drugs found on October 23, and was today sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Judge Smith determined Rowe had played a 'leading' role in the operations, and Nyang a 'significant' role. They were sentenced to 16 years and 13 years respectively.
Mr Beardmore argued each of the men had stood to make 'financial gain' from the conspiracy, and that none of them had been subject to pressure or coercion. "Andrew had the significant benefit of a 26 night paid-for holiday to the Carribbean, at the very least," he told the court. Defending Andrew, of Long Readings Lane, Slough, Mr Sharpe said he had a 'limited understanding' of the wider operation, and described him as a 'man in his mid-50s, living on the margins'.
"He has been described as someone who clearly is a lover, not a fighter," he told the court. "A tall gangly man with a family ethos."
Defending Rowe, Mr Walsh said there was no evidence that Rowe had made financial gain from the conspiracy - he told the court Rowe had been living in a council flat and receiving government benefits during the time the trio had been operating. Similarly, defending Nyang, Mr Gledhill told the court that 'despite' a picture of him holding a 'significant amount of cash' from October 2018, there was 'no evidence' he had led an 'extravangant lifestyle', and he had still been living in rental accommodation.
Judge Smith said the conspiracy had involved 'the three of you and others', and that Rowe and Nyang had been responsible for 'controlling and directing a number of drug couriers who entered the country via Manchester Airport'. She maintained that all three men had 'limited mitigation'.
The NCA said after the case in a statement: "In total, the evidence revealed conspiracies involving approximately 32kg of cocaine being smuggled. Based on the same purity as the 2.9kg recovered from Andrew’s suitcases, the total street value would have been approximately £1.2m.
"Nyang and Rowe’s phones contained images of large amounts of cash and details of money transfers that were sent to the Caribbean via Western Union."
NCA operations manager Charles Lee said: “We know that this OCG had smuggled a significant amount of cocaine from St Lucia to the UK. Our investigation has taken three key players out of the crime group’s hierarchy and jeopardised their route.
"Drug supply in the UK is immensely corrosive and leads to violence and misery in our communities. The Agency leads the UK fight against Class A drugs coming into the country and we will continue working with our partners in policing and UK Border Force to protect the public."
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