Women Jailed for 27 years.
- 6 October 2008 15:427062HMRC HOT RELEASE *******
Date: 06 October 2008 Ref: SE28 /08
27 years for Midlands cocaine smugglers
Two women have been jailed for a total of 27 years at Canterbury Crown Court today for smuggling 16 kilos of cocaine into the UK. They were caught by Customs Officers after arriving at the Port of Dover in March this year. The Class A drugs had an estimated street value of £800,000.
Ambrozine Heron, (77), Paulette Chambers, (49), both from Smethwick, Birmingham, were jailed for 13 and 14 years respectively.
Malcolm Bragg, Assistant Investigation Director for HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) said:
"This detection of a class A drug, and subsequent conviction of the couriers, is the latest in a series of successes by HMRC who continue to play a key role in protecting our communities, and highlights our proactive role in reducing drugs being brought into the UK. We would encourage anyone with information relating to smuggled goods to contact the customs hotline number on 0800 59 5000 or email: customs.hotline@hmrc.gov.uk ."
He added: "This case was successfully prosecuted by the Revenue & Customs Prosecutions Office which shows that together we will pursue and bring to justice those breaking the law to protect all our communities from the effects of criminal activity."
The court heard that on Friday the 21st March 2008, HMRC officers stopped a Nissan Pathfinder car, registered to Heron, at Dover's Eastern Docks. Officers searched the car and found two large shopping bags in between the second and third row of seats. Each bag contained approximately twenty tins of fruit concealing cocaine.
Heron and Chambers were jointly arrested and formally charged with attempting to import a controlled drug.
On sentencing Her Honour Judge Adele Williams said:
"Cocaine is a dangerous drug capable of causing havoc in people's lives. The vehicle in which you were travelling was a mobility scheme vehicle which Ambrozine Heron was entitled to because of her disability. In all the evidence before me, you, Chambers were a prime mover in the importation and you Heron were a willing participant in the importation. I have no doubt your role in the car was to show respectability in respect of your age and health problems.''.
Chambers
Heronemail: dover7@msn.com - 6 October 2008 15:507064In case you and I were in any kind of doubt that anyone in authority is going soft on drugs, these very heavy sentences are here to remind us otherwise.
As it says in the Release above, this is yet another serious arrest and conviction by the astute officers hot on the case here in Dover. Lives are ruined not only by the importation of drugs themselves but also for the perpetrators who are virtually in jail for ever.
The message has to be...DONT DO IT!
What do contributors think..are the sentences too large or are they fair!!??email: dover7@msn.com - 6 October 2008 17:417072Fair sentences although some would say a lot longer what worries me a bit is why a woman of 77yrs of age is even thinking of doing such a thing, when she should know better than anyone the damage it causes.
- 6 October 2008 17:537077Not wishing to sound like a 'do-gooder' but it does make one wonder how two down on their heel looking gals could afford to travel to the continent and buy such a vast amount of class a drugs?Makes you think that the real dealers are still free and peddling their wares elsewhere whilst these two mules carry the can.
I can't understand why Customs didn't try and cut a deal especially with the older woman in an attempt to find the crimbo's higher up the drug ladder.Maybe they did?I don't know ..The Judge is well known for dishing out lengthy prison sentences especially for drugs.They normally end up in an Appeal Court and this pair will probably have their sentences reduced.Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter) - 6 October 2008 18:097079I'm sure both women, not just the 77 year old, are fully aware of the damage drugs do. However principles and morals often go out of the window when money and greed are concerned. The younger of these "down on their heel looking gals" has had £90,000 put into her bank account over the course of fourteen trips. They may not be the top of the drug chain but they were an important link who had physically brought the drugs into the UK. I've absolutely no sympathy here for either of them and I'm glad the book was thrown at them.
- 6 October 2008 18:247080Phil
I have no sympathy what so ever.I even hate tabacco never mind drugs.I have seen first hand what drugs do to an individual.I merely think that these two ladies are the tip of a very big titanic style iceberg.Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter) - 6 October 2008 18:277081The only good thing is that the 77 year old might die in prison.
These people deal in death and have no regard to the people they affect or the misery they cause they are motivated by sheer greed.
As far as I'm concerned let them rot in jail some countries would have executed them and quite rightly too. - 6 October 2008 20:077096I'm totally in agreement, but just to reiterate on what Marek said earlier these 'mules' are rotten to the core, but it would have been a major coup to nab someone of higher importance in the scale of things.
- Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
6 October 2008 21:547115They got what they deserved
They went into this with their eyes open, knowing both the risk they had of being caught and the damage that class A drugs do"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi - 6 October 2008 22:0671172 points here.
marek and posh baz make a good point about the main men or women getting away.
i think that maybe a little more pressure could have been put on these 2 to get some names.
secondly it was cocaine , not heroin.
many people snort "charlie" in their social lives and carry on as normal, whilst "smack" reduces people to nothing in no time.
as an aside, has everyone noticed that our friendly "smack dealing big issue seller is now back in town"?
he did not go away for too long. - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
6 October 2008 22:377122cant say ive noticed him around. - Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
6 October 2008 23:007134I have seen him, he is back selling the Big Issue
If he is doing so legitimately, he must be clean and have an address as they still insist their sellers are clean of drugs and alcohol"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi - 7 October 2008 00:047138Regarding the criticism of the lack of arrests of anyone else in the case, for all we know these two offenders may well have given useful intelligence to the police on the ringleaders. Just because arrests weren't forthcoming at the same time as these two were taken to court does not mean that there will not be in the future. It seems to me to be unfair to criticise the police/customs investigation as ultimately the only people who know what information has been offered are these two women and the investigating officers, we are all outsiders who are not privy to that information. The chances are that arrests of people higher up the food chain will happen as part of a intelligence driven special Police operation, one would not expect it to happen at the same time as the middlemen caught at the port. If information has indeed been proffered, it would be irresponsible to provide this information in a press release.
- 7 October 2008 07:057139Phil
Thats a point I raised in my post.We shall wait and see.Any one that thinks that these two ladies were running the operation singlehandly is living in cloud cuckoo land.Overseas contacts...who did they buy from.Where?How was the link made?How and who was going to peddle the drugs in the UK.Split it,weigh it,wrap it flog it to kids and partygoers.There must be a least a dozen maybe more people under these two rotten apples that they know the names and addresses of.Lets hope it leads on to bigger things and that an opportunity has not been lost before the trail goes cold or is lost.
My main point is yes what a good coup for Customs but lets not kid ourselves that taking out these two has closed down an organised gang.
Finally Phil not sure I agree with your point that releasing the info in a press release would be irresponsible.Its a tactic often used by the law.." following further information" following up on leads" "we are close to making further arrests" etc, in order to cause panic confusion and paranoia amongst the crims.Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter) - 7 October 2008 07:597142Was very glad to be able to bring this story to doverforum yesterday. It was featured on the national news yesterday and last night and we probably had it on air before anyone else..even before the big boys.
The story became bigger through the day as it was realised that the woman who got 13 years was already 77 and would serve til she was 90 years old. A bit incredible and certainly unusual. Of course she may well get out sooner but they sheer shock of it became the story. It would probably have been better placed on the frontpage.Anyway..Im just rambling aloud here.email: dover7@msn.com - Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
7 October 2008 08:047143ramble away paul,good story there.
- 8 October 2008 07:307192Although we all applaud the success of our services in apprehending the smuggling culprits, its worth while remembering that the great and good, those big city high flyers, the ones that hold all our financial destinies in their hands, are shoving this stuff up their nostrils night and day. And willing to pay big time for it.
Its not some obscure grouping at the fringes of society who are snorting this stuff. So who are the real culprits, perhaps its those that create the demand, those at the very core of allsorts of high flying lifestyles, the celebs, the city boys, and so on.email: dover7@msn.com - 8 October 2008 11:087201Paulb
Its wrong whoever does it.
yes probably big drug dealers have probably got away, because they make\sure they are a long way up the\chain, and these\days they are 3 steps ahead of the agencies.
And when people get caught they make sure they cannot be traced.
Theres money in this, big money.
Sad\fact of life - 8 October 2008 19:077233i sometimes wonder why they do no simply legalise it, thus taking the major gangs out of the equation.
it is very rare that the chaps at the top get nicked, usually just small time criminals in the chain.
would our youngsters be so keen to get involved with the stuff if it was all legal and above board?
