Drug smugglers who hired a pilot to fly thousands

Drug smugglers who hired a pilot to fly thousands of
pnds stlng worth of cannabis resin into Britain were jailed
today (Wed).

The two Southend men were part of a gang plotting to
import the drugs by light aircraft.

But Southwark Crown Court heard private pilot Andrew
Holland was the son of a serving Customs officer and tipped
off the authorities about the plan.

The young hero then courageously went along with the
plot – but kept Customs aware of each step allowing officers
to smash the scam.

Judge John Previte, QC, imprisoned brothers Wayne
Kidley, 28, for four-years and his brother Heath Rumsey, 21,
for three-years.

Kidley, unemployed, of Cliff’s Pavilion, Westcliff-on-Sea,
Southend, and Rumsey, also unemployed of Fleetwood Avenue, Southend,
Essex, pleaded guilty to conspiring to import cannabis between
September 1 and November 26, last year.

The judge told them: ‘It is quite obvious that importations
of this quantity of cannabis resin are so serious that only a
custodial sentence can be justified, a sentence of imprisonment is
the only appropriate sentence.

‘
The court heard that on October 30 last year drugs were
flown to a disused airfield at Eye in Suffolk.

It is believed
there was 15kg of cannabis worth up to pnds stlng 45,000.

On November 26, 22.

5kg of the drug worth pnds stlng
67,500 were dropped into a field near houses at the village of
Canewdon, near Southend.

Customs men then swooped to arrest the gang.

Judge Previte praised Mr Holland, 26, for going to Customs
as soon as he was approached to pilot the plane.

He said the pilot kept the authorities fully informed and
agreed to be a fully participating informer.

The judge said: ‘That took a great deal of courage on his
part.

He did not know these men before he was approached and did
not know what sort of people they were or what sort of risk he was
running.

‘Obviously when he made the decision to help Customs it
put him in considerable jeapordy.

‘
The court heard that Mr Holland has already been paid a
pnds stlng 1,500 reward for his actions and pnds stlng 1,000 expenses
to help him move from his Southend home.

Judge Previte awarded the pilot a further ‘token’ pnds stlng
500, saying: ‘I wish to commend him for his assistance to Customs
and the general public.

‘
Mr Guy Powell, prosecuting, said Mr Holland was introduced
to Kidley in the Monk and Fisherman pub in Southend where they
discussed using a light aircraft to smuggle drugs.

‘Unbeknown to the gang was the Mr Holland’s father was a
serving Customs officer and what had happened was reported to
Customs,’ said Mr Powell.

‘Mr Holland agreed to act as a participating informant and
told Customs step by step what was going on.

‘
He said when the plane landed with the first consignment
Kidley jumped out and hid the drugs under a bale of straw.

He
later returned to pick them up.

Mr Powell said on the second importation Kidley had thrown
the drugs out of the plane and was arrested after landing at
Southend Airport minutes later.

He told the court that Kidley had also discussed the
locations and the plans with Mr Holland.

Mr Holland was offered pnds stlng 5,000 for each trip by
Kidley.

After the first flight he was only paid pnds stlng 1,000
when Kidley said the drugs were of poor quality and difficult to
sell.

Rumsey travelled to Belgium before both trips.

He was
said to have acted as a tester, ensuring the drugs were cannabis.

Mr Richard Butcher, defending Rumsey, said the gang’s
organisers were not before the court.

He said the net thrown out by Customs ‘let out the big
fish and retained the minnow.

‘
He said his client was an occasional user of cannabis
and agreed to test the drugs bought in Amsterdam.

He said there was no evidence of Rumsey making any money
out of his role – saying Mr Holland actually arranged a flight
home from Belgium in November so the defendant could sign on.

Mr Michael Levy, for Kidley, accepted his client had
played an important role in the scheme.

But he accused Mr Holland of recruiting people to take
part in the smuggling.

He said KIdley’s case was that the methods and locations
and detail were put together by Mr Holland.

‘No-one else was in
a position to do so.

‘
Four other men were acquited of being part of the gang
during a three week trial – three on the direction of the judge
and one by the jury.

They were builder Robert Reeve, 53, of Glenwood Avenue,
Eastwood, Southend: 43-year-old Robert Cook, a builder, of Scotts
Hall Cottages, Canewdon, Southend; engineer Andrew Rail, 28, of
Linden Road, Benfleet, Essex, and Miles White, 33, a barman, of
St Anne’s Road, Southend.

Mr Levy alleged that Reeve, acquited by a jury on Tuesday,
was the operation’s financier.

He said Kidley had not received any benefit from
particpating and at one stage was willing to act as a prosecution
witness.

‘It may have brought about a different result (in the
trial).

‘
He revealed that Kidley decided not to give evidence
against other gang members ‘because he was scared of the
consequences.

‘
Mr Levy said: ‘His wife was attacked, a number of threatening
letters were put through their door and at the start of the year his
car was petrol-bombed.

‘
He said Kidley ‘got involved in the drugs trade as he was
enticed by money, but did not benefit.

‘
And counsel said his client was ‘vulnerable’ as he was in
difficult financial circumstances and at the time his wife had left
him, although the couple have since reunited.

ends