Steward gets 16 years for smuggling drugs
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Steward gets 16 years for smuggling drugs
First off, I appologise that I can't find the original thread ( which I'm convinced was posted here upon PPRuNe some / many months ago, i.e. when the offence first came to light ) as it would be nice to be able to close the loop on this saga,
That said, here's what was posted - in a local rag - about the outcome from the trial ( of which I can only say, "Way to go Judge !" ) .......
That said, here's what was posted - in a local rag - about the outcome from the trial ( of which I can only say, "Way to go Judge !" ) .......
Steward jailed for smuggling
A British Airways steward has been jailed for 16 years for his role in a plot to smuggle hundreds of thousands of pounds of cocaine through Gatwick.
Customs officers search-ed his blue Samsonite suitcase after he stepped off a plane from Kingston, Jamaica, and found six slabs of the drug wrapped in a pillowcase.
The six kilos had an estimated street value of £360,000.
A court heard how he claimed the case was not his, despite it being labelled with his BA crew identity tag.
Akpabio-Klementowski, 38, was told the punishment was to reflect the betrayal of trust between himself and the airline.
Richard Jarrett, 48, a self-employed decorator from Wembley, was arrested two days later on June 15, 2002, when he arrived at the airport from Jamaica on another BA flight.
He denied being involved in drug smuggling or knowing Akpabio-Klementowski, from Hounslow.
But investigators discovered both were in possession of the other's phone number and had called one another frequently.
They had also stayed in the same hotels at the same time in the Caribbean and South America on a number of occasions over the previous two years.
Both were found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK at Croydon Crown Court.
Jarrett was yesterday sentenced to 17 years imprisonment. Both will get a five-year travel restriction order once they are released.
A British Airways steward has been jailed for 16 years for his role in a plot to smuggle hundreds of thousands of pounds of cocaine through Gatwick.
Customs officers search-ed his blue Samsonite suitcase after he stepped off a plane from Kingston, Jamaica, and found six slabs of the drug wrapped in a pillowcase.
The six kilos had an estimated street value of £360,000.
A court heard how he claimed the case was not his, despite it being labelled with his BA crew identity tag.
Akpabio-Klementowski, 38, was told the punishment was to reflect the betrayal of trust between himself and the airline.
Richard Jarrett, 48, a self-employed decorator from Wembley, was arrested two days later on June 15, 2002, when he arrived at the airport from Jamaica on another BA flight.
He denied being involved in drug smuggling or knowing Akpabio-Klementowski, from Hounslow.
But investigators discovered both were in possession of the other's phone number and had called one another frequently.
They had also stayed in the same hotels at the same time in the Caribbean and South America on a number of occasions over the previous two years.
Both were found guilty of conspiracy to import cocaine into the UK at Croydon Crown Court.
Jarrett was yesterday sentenced to 17 years imprisonment. Both will get a five-year travel restriction order once they are released.
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Had they put their hands up straight away they might have done themselves a favour. The going rate for 5kg of cocaine is about 12 years following a trial, but someone who pleads guilty as soon as they arrive in a court can expect nearer half that. Seems like a reasonable discount to me.
Last edited by Unwell_Raptor; 1st Aug 2003 at 19:27.
