HIDDEN AMONG A CONSIGNMENT OF ‘LADIES FINGERS’ OR

HIDDEN AMONG A CONSIGNMENT OF ‘LADIES FINGERS’ OR OCHRE, A
VEGETABLE FROM INDIA, CUSTOMS OFFICERS AT HEATHROW AIRPORT FOUND MORE

THAN #300,000 WORTH OF HEROIN AND #6,000 WORTH OF CANNABIS RESIN, A
COURT HEARD ON TUESDAY.

THE SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES WERE FIRST NOTICED BY A FREIGHT
HANDLER CONCEALED IN TWO CARTONS PART OF 100 IMPORTED ON A SWISSAIR
FLIGHT, MR JEREMY GRENFELL, PROSECUTING, TOLD ISLEWORTH CROWN COURT.

THE DRUGS, 3.

53 KILOS OF HEROIN AND 2.

55 KILOS OF CANNABIS,
WERE REMOVED AND THE PACKAGES AND CARTONS SEALED AGAIN ‘TO AWAIT
EVENTS’.

AND WHEN THE BOXES OF OCHRE WERE COLLECTED IN A HIRED LORRY BY

JAMES FERRIS UNDERCOVER CUSTOMS MEN FOLLOWED CLOSE BEHIND, SAID

COUNSEL.

THE OFFICERS NOTICED A WHITE VAN DRIVEN BY ANOTHER MAN, BRIAN

PERRY FOLLOWING FERRIS’ ‘CIRCUITOUS ROUTE’ TO NEW COVENT GARDEN

MARKET IN NINE ELMS.

PERRY STOPPED IN PUTNEY WHILE FERRIS WENT ON TO THE MARKET
WHERE HE ASKED FOR THE NON-EXISTENT COMPANY — VIOLET ENTERPRISES —
TO WHICH THE CONSIGNMENT WAS DIRECTED.

IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS FERRIS WENT INTO THE BACK OF THE LORRY
FOUR TIMES AND WAS SEEN TO BE ROOTING AROUND IN THERE’, SAID COUNSEL.

THEN HE DROVE HOME DOWN THE A3, STOPPING TWICE ON THE
WAY.

‘HE EVEN WENT TO SUTTON POLICE STATION AND ENQUIRED ABOUT HIS
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS RELATING TO THE CONSIGNMENT.

HE WAS CAREFUL

TO NOTE THE NAME OF THE OFFICER TO WHOM HE SPOKE’, SAID COUNSEL.

HE THEN RETURNED TO THE MARKET AND ‘WENT INTO THE BACK OF THE
VAN AGAIN’, CONTINUED MR GRENFELL.

‘FOLLOWING THAT HE PASSED
INFORMATION TO THE POLICE SAYING HE SUSPECTED THERE WERE DRUGS IN THE

CARTONS’.

THIS WAS ALL ‘AN ELABORATE CHARADE’ SAID COUNSEL.

‘HE WAS
ERECTING A DEFENCE IN THE FAIR CERTAINTY THAT THE DRUGS HAD ALREADY
BEEN DETECTED’.

FERRIS WAS ARRESTED ON THE SPOT BUT PERRY, WHOSE VAN WAS NOT
REGISTERED TO HIM, WAS NOT PICKED UP FOR TWO MONTHS.

HIS GIRL-
FRIEND, MRS KATHERINE KNIGHT, ALSO ALLEGEDLY INVOLVED IN THE DRUGS

SMUGGLING PLOT, FOUR WEEKS LATER.

KNIGHT AND PERRY WERE LINKED TO THE CASE BY THE VARIOUS

DOCUMENTS USED AND BY ITEMS FOUND AT THEIR HOME IN HAMPTON HILL SAID

COUNSEL.

PERRY RAN A BUILDERS BUSINESS AND THE PAPER USED FOR THE

IMPORTATION DOCUMENTS WAS FOUND TO BE VERY SIMILAR TO HIS INVOICE

PAPER.

THE PRINTING, DESCRIBED AS ‘AMATEURISH’ WAS ALSO SIMILAR,

SAID COUNSEL.

WHEN MRS KNIGHT WAS ARRESTED A PIECE OF PAPER HEADED

‘SUGGESTION’ AND OUTLINING A POSSIBLE ALIBI FOR PERRY’S DRIVING
ACTIVITIES, WAS FOUND IN HER HANDBAG.

FERRIS, 38, UNEMPLOYED, OF BURGESS ROAD, SUTTON, PERRY 31, A
BUILDER, AND MRS KNIGHT, 33, BOTH OF MYRTLE RD, HAMPTON HILL, ALL
DENY TWO CHARGES OF SMUGGLING THE HEROIN AND CANNABIS THROUGH
HEATHROW ON JANUARY 20 THIS YEAR.

THE TRIAL, EXPECTED TO LAST THREE WEEKS, CONTINUES.

.

.

ENDS