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| £41m Farnborough airport cocaine smugglers jailed | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Four men have been jailed for trying to smuggle a haul of cocaine worth more than £41m into the UK on a private jet from Colombia. | Four men have been jailed for trying to smuggle a haul of cocaine worth more than £41m into the UK on a private jet from Colombia. |
| In what was celebrated as one of the largest busts of its kind, they were stopped at Hampshire’s Farnborough airport with half a tonne of the drug in 15 suitcases after flying in from Bogotá. | In what was celebrated as one of the largest busts of its kind, they were stopped at Hampshire’s Farnborough airport with half a tonne of the drug in 15 suitcases after flying in from Bogotá. |
| Martin Neil, 49, of Poole, Dorset; Italian national Alessandro Iembo, 28; and Spaniards Victor Franco-Lorenzo, 40; and José Ramón Miguelez-Botas, 56, were found guilty by a jury at Woolwich crown court in south-east London on Thursday. | Martin Neil, 49, of Poole, Dorset; Italian national Alessandro Iembo, 28; and Spaniards Victor Franco-Lorenzo, 40; and José Ramón Miguelez-Botas, 56, were found guilty by a jury at Woolwich crown court in south-east London on Thursday. |
| They were each convicted of one count of fraudulent evasion of a prohibition in relation to a class A controlled drug, between 30 October and 30 January. | They were each convicted of one count of fraudulent evasion of a prohibition in relation to a class A controlled drug, between 30 October and 30 January. |
| Neil’s brother Stephen Neil, 53, also of Poole, was found not guilty of the same charge after the jury deliberated for more than 13 hours. | Neil’s brother Stephen Neil, 53, also of Poole, was found not guilty of the same charge after the jury deliberated for more than 13 hours. |
| Martin Neil, of Bournemouth Road; Iembo, of Richmond Chambers in Bournemouth; and Franco-Lorenzo, of Suffolk Road in Bournemouth, received 24 years each, while Miguelez-Botas, of Valladolid in Spain, was given 20 years by the judge Philip Shorrock. | Martin Neil, of Bournemouth Road; Iembo, of Richmond Chambers in Bournemouth; and Franco-Lorenzo, of Suffolk Road in Bournemouth, received 24 years each, while Miguelez-Botas, of Valladolid in Spain, was given 20 years by the judge Philip Shorrock. |
| Border officials discovered the stash on 29 January, but police believe the racket may have been successful once before in 2017. | Border officials discovered the stash on 29 January, but police believe the racket may have been successful once before in 2017. |
| They took off from Luton on a private jet costing £138,500 on 26 January and headed for the South American country. | They took off from Luton on a private jet costing £138,500 on 26 January and headed for the South American country. |
| When they returned, officials searched past a few dirty clothes in their suitcases to find 513 blocks of cocaine with a purity of around 79%. The total weight was about 500kg. | |
| The wholesale value was £15,390,000 but the cocaine could be sold for more than £41m on the street, the prosecution said. | The wholesale value was £15,390,000 but the cocaine could be sold for more than £41m on the street, the prosecution said. |
| The profit, despite the luxury mode of transport, could have been more than £15m. | The profit, despite the luxury mode of transport, could have been more than £15m. |
| Iembo, Martin Neil and Franco-Lorenzo had made an initial three-day trip to Bogotá in December. | Iembo, Martin Neil and Franco-Lorenzo had made an initial three-day trip to Bogotá in December. |
| The private jet used for that trip was booked by a woman who had said the men were “leaders in the field of cryptocurrency” who would be meeting the US singer Bruno Mars in Colombia as part of their work in the music industry. | The private jet used for that trip was booked by a woman who had said the men were “leaders in the field of cryptocurrency” who would be meeting the US singer Bruno Mars in Colombia as part of their work in the music industry. |
| A chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce Phantom was arranged to collect them when they returned to Farnborough on 11 December. | A chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce Phantom was arranged to collect them when they returned to Farnborough on 11 December. |
| They brought back a number of suitcases on that trip, but none were searched. | They brought back a number of suitcases on that trip, but none were searched. |
| Lawyers for the Neils said the pair had been “deceived”, believing they were off to Colombia to help with charity work. | Lawyers for the Neils said the pair had been “deceived”, believing they were off to Colombia to help with charity work. |
| Celebrating the bust at the time, the National Crime Agency operations manager Siobhan Micklethwaite said it was “one of the largest flown into the UK by plane in many years”. | Celebrating the bust at the time, the National Crime Agency operations manager Siobhan Micklethwaite said it was “one of the largest flown into the UK by plane in many years”. |
| Martin Neil, who stared at his feet as he was found guilty, celebrated as his older brother was cleared. | Martin Neil, who stared at his feet as he was found guilty, celebrated as his older brother was cleared. |
| Sentencing the convicted men, Shorrock said the “serious and commercial operation” nearly succeeded in bringing an “enormous haul” of the class A drug into Britain. | Sentencing the convicted men, Shorrock said the “serious and commercial operation” nearly succeeded in bringing an “enormous haul” of the class A drug into Britain. |
| He conceded they were not the masterminds, but they all played a “crucial part” and hoped to succeed in walking away with a “substantial” amount of money. | He conceded they were not the masterminds, but they all played a “crucial part” and hoped to succeed in walking away with a “substantial” amount of money. |
| The judge told Miguelez-Botas he got a lesser sentence because his lack of participation in the earlier trip showed he played less of a role in the planning of the foiled operation. | The judge told Miguelez-Botas he got a lesser sentence because his lack of participation in the earlier trip showed he played less of a role in the planning of the foiled operation. |
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| Drugs trade | Drugs trade |
| Colombia | |
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