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| Prison escape Mexico drug dealer Alan Sibley jailed | Prison escape Mexico drug dealer Alan Sibley jailed |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A drug dealer who walked out of prison in Sussex and fled to Mexico has been jailed for 23 years for running a drugs smuggling operation aimed at importing cocaine into the UK. | |
| Alan Sibley, 55, formerly of Lightwater, Surrey, was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine and escaping from lawful custody. | Alan Sibley, 55, formerly of Lightwater, Surrey, was found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine and escaping from lawful custody. |
| Guildford Crown Court heard cocaine was smuggled through Southampton Docks. | Guildford Crown Court heard cocaine was smuggled through Southampton Docks. |
| Jurors were told the drugs were hidden in bathroom sinks and furniture. | |
| 'A greedy man' | |
| The court heard Sibley walked out of Ford Open Prison in West Sussex in 2005 and used a false identity to reach Cancun. | The court heard Sibley walked out of Ford Open Prison in West Sussex in 2005 and used a false identity to reach Cancun. |
| During the trial, Sibley denied the charges and claimed he knew nothing about the drugs hidden inside several metal sinks shipped to the UK from Mexico. | |
| Under cross-examination, he admitted he had made the sinks but said he did not know about the cocaine. | Under cross-examination, he admitted he had made the sinks but said he did not know about the cocaine. |
| "I have shipped furniture all over the world and it is always checked at the borders," he said. | "I have shipped furniture all over the world and it is always checked at the borders," he said. |
| "They could have X-rayed these sinks or chopped them in half. I had no fear." | "They could have X-rayed these sinks or chopped them in half. I had no fear." |
| He also claimed that if he had wanted to smuggle drugs, he would have "got away with it". | He also claimed that if he had wanted to smuggle drugs, he would have "got away with it". |
| He said: "This is going to sound arrogant, but if I had applied myself to this, you would never have found [the drugs]." | He said: "This is going to sound arrogant, but if I had applied myself to this, you would never have found [the drugs]." |
| Earlier this year, he was extradited from Mexico and brought back to Heathrow Airport by officers from Surrey Police. | Earlier this year, he was extradited from Mexico and brought back to Heathrow Airport by officers from Surrey Police. |
| Det Sgt Simon Richards described him as "a greedy man" who had enjoyed a lavish lifestyle. | |
| "I think he's a man who thought labels were important, and a man who never did an honest day's work. | |
| "He lived entirely off the proceeds of a very serious and dangerous drug-dealing lifestyle," he said. | |
| On Wednesday, jurors unanimously found Sibley guilty. | On Wednesday, jurors unanimously found Sibley guilty. |
| He was jailed for 22 years for the drugs offence and given a further 12 months for the prison escape. | |
| Judge Peter Moss described Sibley as a "dyed-in-the-wool, committed drug dealer in a filthy trade that causes great misery to people in this country". | |
| He said the 23-year jail term would start in December 2014 after Sibley's release from Belmarsh Prison where he is still completing his original sentence. | He said the 23-year jail term would start in December 2014 after Sibley's release from Belmarsh Prison where he is still completing his original sentence. |
| Sibley was jailed in 2001 for possession and supply of drugs. | Sibley was jailed in 2001 for possession and supply of drugs. |