Dock worker jailed over plot to smuggle £118m of cocaine into the UK in banana crates
A corrupt dock worker who was involved in a plot to smuggle millions of pounds worth of cocaine into the UK in pallets of bananas was caught after police switched out the drugs for dummy packages.
Michael Jordan, 45, was on shift at Portsmouth docks in April last year when 372 pallets of bananas, originally from Columbia, arrived on a cargo vessel.
Officers watched Jordan on CCTV separating pallets which he believed contained cocaine and move them to a separate warehouse.
But what Jordan did not know was that police had stopped the 1,477kg of cocaine – worth an estimated £118m – at Vlissingen in the Netherlands.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) and their Dutch counterparts then replaced the drugs with dummy packages.
Unaware of the switch, Jordan and his accomplice at the docks, David Oliver, from Portsmouth, attempted to conceal the pallets they believed contained the drugs.
Jordan then prepared for the arrival of Turkish lorry driver Ahmet Aydin, so the load could be moved into his trailer quickly and without detection.
Officers watched Jordan on CCTV separating pallets
Jordan and his accomplice at the docks, David Oliver, from Portsmouth, attempted to conceal the pallets they believed contained the drugs
The NCA shared intelligence with West Midlands Police, who arrested four men as part of their own investigation when the dummy load was transported to a rural location near Lichfield in Staffordshire.
Jordan was arrested along with Oliver and Aydin, who were convicted last year, on suspicion of conspiracy to import class A drugs.
Michael Jordan, 45, from Portsmouth, was jailed for 21 years in prison
Jordan was convicted on Friday after a three-week trial at Portsmouth Crown Court.
He was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday.
Oliver and Aydin were sentenced separately to 13 years and 14 years respectively.
Police discovered 1,477kg worth of cocaine in the Netherlands
The cocaine was estimated to be worth around £118m
NCA Branch Commander Matt McMillan said: “Michael Jordan was part of a criminal conspiracy to import a large quantity of cocaine through the UK border.
“He used his insider knowledge as a port worker to make money from the cocaine trade, which fuels violence and exploitation on our streets.
“The NCA worked closely with the port operator, international partners, and West Midlands Police to dismantle this organised crime group and protect the public.”
Assisted dying could become legal in England and Wales after the bill was backed by MPs in a historic vote.
Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill received 330 yes votes compared to 275 noes at its second reading in the House of Commons – a majority of 55.
Politics Live: MPs voting on historic assisted dying legislation
The bill would allow adults who are terminally ill with just six months left to live to request medical assistance to end their lives.
Today’s result means the legislation will now progress to the committee stage for scrutiny, with the Lords also to be given opportunities to express their views on the measure before it potentially becomes law.
MPs were given a free vote – meaning they could side with their conscience and not along party lines, with the government staying neutral on the matter.
The division list showed Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer backed the proposal, as did Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
But other cabinet members like Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood voted against the bill, having previously warned about vulnerable people being coerced and of a “slippery slope of death on demand”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
MPs debate assisted dying
The vote came after a five-hour debate in the chamber, which drew emotional arguments on both sides.
Conservative former minister Andrew Mitchell revealed he changed his mind on assisted dying after finding himself with “tears pouring down my face” on hearing the stories of constituents whose loved ones had died “in great pain and great indignity”.
On the other side of the argument, veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott said assisted dying could result in sick people “feeling like a burden” on society, adding: ” I can imagine myself saying that in particular circumstances.”
She warned: “If this bill passes, we will have the NHS as a fully-funded 100% suicide service but palliative care will only be funded at 30% at best.”
Bill about ‘choice and dignity’
Opening the debate on the topic, Labour backbencher Ms Leadbeater said the bill was about giving dying people “choice, autonomy, and dignity” – saying the current law was “failing” them.
Kim Leadbeater: PA
Read More:
Two people reveal contrasting views on assisted dying
Five stories that bring the assisted dying debate home
She has insisted her bill contains “the most robust safeguards” of any assisted dying legislation in the word.
This includes two independent doctors having to approve the decision, followed by a high-court judge, with the person having to administer the drugs themselves.
The legislation also includes a maximum 14-year prison sentence for anyone who coerces someone into requesting assisted dying or taking the medicine.
Speaking to Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby after the vote, an emotional Ms Leadbeater said she was “incredibly proud” of the result and parliament must now “take on board everything that’s been discussed in the chamber”, including the state of palliative care and the rights of disabled people.
This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.
Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.
UK
Heidi Alexander named new transport secretary after Louise Haigh’s resignation over mobile phone guilty plea
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports8 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway