57-year Old Columbian Jailed for Cocaine Possession in London
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(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...By Adebayo Somuyiwa
Published: November 6, 2009
57-year Old Columbian Jailed for Cocaine Possession in London
By Adebayo Somuyiwa/London
A Colombian cocaine gang living in London has been jailed for a total of 57 years at Southwark Crown Court, after being convicted of harbouring 108 kilos of cocaine worth £7.2 million.
Clive Davis, HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Assistant Chief Investigation Officer said:
“This is the successful culmination of an investigation into the importation of cocaine into the UK from South America. HM Revenue & Customs is committed to reducing the availability of Class A drugs by detecting and deterring the smuggling of illegal drugs and other restricted and prohibited goods. We have succeeded in stopping over £7 million worth of drugs reaching our streets. The criminality surrounding class A drugs can devastate communities. We will reduce the harm caused by drugs, taking out cocaine and heroin targeted on the UK, and disrupting the criminal gangs who seek to profit from it.”
The court heard that following a surveillance operation in April 2005, the defendants were arrested after Customs Officers stopped a car driven by Alexander Anoyave Agudelo in Stoke Newington, London. During a search of the vehicle officers found about 25 kilos of cocaine in two holdalls. The officers then went to a flat in Heather Lodge, St. Kilda’s Road, Stoke Newington and recovered a further 83 kilos of cocaine. Further enquiries resulted in the arrest and charge of four men and two women, all Colombians living in London, with harbouring a controlled drug.
The gang was responsible for receiving cocaine that had been smuggled into the UK, storing it, and then breaking it down for distribution.
This case was successfully prosecuted by the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO). RCPO is an independent prosecuting authority which reports to the Attorney General, and is responsible for the prosecution of all HMRC cases.
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