An American drug mule stopped at Manchester Airport with 36 kilos of cannabis stuffed inside suitcases told officials: “It should have been clothes, bro.”
Shawn Ross, 28, had travelled from his native California to Charlotte, USA, then onto Madrid before he was stopped in Manchester in April this year. He had previously travelled to Manchester less than a month before and Border Force staff became concerned about how close together the trips were.
He was stopped and detained, telling officials that he planned to stay in Manchester for two nights before going on to London to visit friends. However, concerns were raised further when he said no onward travel had been arranged.
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Ross also said he had just one piece of carry-on luggage and one suitcase in the hold, but further investigations revealed two hard shell suitcases with his names, Manchester Crown Court heard.
“He denied they were his, but then walked back to the customs having told officers he didn’t have anything to declare. He was then taken to the customs search room,” prosecutor David Lees said.
His passport was checked, and found to be legitimate. Ross denied the bags were his, instead claiming they belonged to a friend, said that he didn’t know what was inside them and didn’t know the code to open them.
“He said he knew it was illegal to bring controlled drugs into the UK and denied carrying anything of that nature,” the prosecutor continued.
In the black hard shell suitcase there were 33 vacuum-sealed packages of cannabis, and in the red suitcase there were 37. In total there were 70 packages, and the total weight of the drugs was 36.4 kilograms. It was said to be worth around £6,000 per kilogram and so the estimated total value was £200,000.
When questioned by officers, he said: “It should have been clothes, bro.”
He was arrested and gave a prepared statement to officers from the National Crime Agency, in which he said he had come to the UK to build contacts for work.
“The defendant said he was carrying suitcases for a colleague, and said he believed they contained clothes and items for work,” Mr Lees added. Ross was said to have no previous convictions in the UK or elsewhere.
Richard Vardon, mitigating, said his client was described by references as ‘polite, articulate and intelligent’.
“He said in his own words, that this was a ‘big mistake that will never be repeated’. He comes from a decent family, he has a good work ethic and there is genuine regret and remorse,” he added.
Mr Vardon also said that he had no influence on ‘those above him’ and was acting under direction.
Sentencing, Judge Elliott Knopf said: “Drugs are a big problem in this country and in yours. Others are making big money off this sort of activity – there is a market for this stuff. It’s quite clear you knew what you were about.”
Ross, of California, was jailed for 30 months. The judge added that there was a likelihood that he may be deported back to the United States after serving his sentence.
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