WIREDGOV

A woman from Birmingham has been jailed for six and a half years after attempting to smuggle crack cocaine into the UK disguised as coffee beans.

Maxine Spence, 45, of Wheeler Street, Lozells, was arrested at Manchester Airport on 4 April 2014 after she arrived on a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica.

During a search of her luggage six hessian bags of coffee beans were found by Border Force officers.

The bags were opened and mixed in with the coffee beans were thousands of rocks of crack cocaine, each weighing less than a gram.

Forensic testing on the rocks showed that they were between 64 and 74 per cent pure, and if sold in the UK would have had a potential likely street value in excess of £160,000.

In interviews with NCA investigators Spence initially denied knowing the drugs were in the coffee and claimed she had bought the bags from a market in Jamaica.

But following a three day trial at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court on Thursday 16 July she was found guilty of importing a class A drug and sentenced to six and a half years in prison.

Rob Miles, head of the NCA’s Border Investigation Team at Manchester Airport, said:

“This was a professional attempt to smuggle class A drugs into the UK. The rocks of crack had been sealed into the bags off coffee using sophisticated industrial processes.

“Spence claimed not to know the drugs were in there but she knew exactly what she was doing and the evidence we put before the court demonstrated this, resulting in her being found guilty by a jury.

“We continue to work with Border Force to prevent illegal drugs coming in to the UK through Manchester and other ports and airports, and tackle the organised crime networks responsible.”

Phil Shields, assistant director of Border Force at Manchester Airport, said:

“Drug smuggling is a high-stakes criminal industry and those involved will always look to identify new methods that they think will help them evade detection.

“Our challenge is to stay one step ahead of the smugglers and our officers at Manchester Airport are trained to expect the unexpected.

“Seizures like this demonstrate the vital work Border Force officers are doing on the front line to keep dangerous illegal drugs off the UK’s streets.”