Two men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in one of the UK’s largest-ever cocaine seizures, following a major drugs operation in East Yorkshire.
In May, more than half a tonne (524kg) of high-purity cocaine, worth over £42 million on the street, was brought into the UK by boat in Easington, on the East Yorkshire coast.
The drug smugglers were intercepted by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in a pub car park, where they found the drugs hidden in the back of a hire van.
Mark Moran, aged 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Daniel Livingstone, 25, was given a sentence of seven years and nine months at Hull Crown Court.
The court heard how Moran and Livingstone had used an inflatable boat to collect the drugs from the North Sea and land them at a caravan site.
After dropping off the drugs, they drove to a local pub to stay the night, where they were arrested.
Prosecutor Angus MacDonald explained that the drugs were of high purity, with levels ranging between 86-89%, marking the seizure as one of the largest in recent history.
In his defence, Moran’s barrister, Derek Duffy, argued that his client had a minor role, merely transporting the drugs from the boat to the shore. Duffy also noted that the operation was orchestrated by a South American cartel.
Livingstone’s lawyer, Michael Forest, explained that his client had been offered £40,000 for his role in the plot, as he was struggling with debt.
Forest described Livingstone’s decision as a result of “the lure of easy money” that led him down a “dark path.”
Judge Mark Bury, who passed sentence, expressed his bewilderment over how two men from rural Scotland with no previous criminal records had become involved in such a serious criminal operation. “It’s puzzling to try and work out how you became involved,” said the judge.
Moran, from Ardrishaig in Scotland, was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine following a trial in October, while Livingstone, from Campbeltown, Scotland, pleaded guilty to the same charge.
Colombian national Didier Tordecilla Reyes, 39, who also pleaded guilty to importing cocaine, will be sentenced at a later date. Another defendant, Anthony McAllister, 33, from Taynuilt, Scotland, was acquitted of all charges.
Alan French from the NCA commented, “There’s no doubt these drugs would have been sold into communities around the UK.
“But working with our partners including Humberside Police and Border Force, we have disrupted this crime group’s offending and made a huge dent in any profits they were due to make.”
