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Two jailed over cocaine smuggling Two jailed over cocaine smuggling
(about 1 hour later)
Two men from the north-west of England have been jailed for their part in a major drugs smuggling operation. A drug smuggler from Merseyside has been jailed for 19 years for his part in a plot to smuggle £166m of cocaine hidden in tins of asparagus.
James Kelly, from Garston, Merseyside, believed to be part of an international gang, was jailed for 19 years at Liverpool Crown Court. Father-of-three, James Kelly, 34, was part of an international gang planning to import 1,600kg of the Class A drug from Peru, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
Salim Omer, of Preston, Lancashire, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for money laundering. Salim Omer, 34, from Preston in Lancashire, was also jailed for three and a half years for money laundering.
Both men were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs after £166m worth of cocaine was seized. The judge accepted that Omer did not know the money had a drugs connection.
Inside tins Great magnitude
The drugs, seized in Amsterdam, were thought to have been shipped from Peru. The court heard father-of-two, Omer, admit to money laundering after acting as a courier in the drug smuggling operation.
They were found by Dutch police and customs officers in a warehouse, near Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, concealed inside tins labelled asparagus. The scheme was uncovered when police found tins of drugs in a warehouse in Holland in November 2005.
In October 2005 a shipment of 1,600kg of cocaine left Peru, hidden inside thousands of tins. Kelly, from Garston, Liverpool, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, was a "powerful and trusted first lieutenant" in a drugs gang led by his father Dennis O'Brien, the prosecution claimed.
Around a quarter of the consignment had been bought by James Kelly - who was intending to import it to Liverpool and sell it on, the court heard. This was a conspiracy of great magnitude Judge John Roberts
Merseyside Police have said they want to talk to James Kelly's father in connection with the trafficking. He is believed to be abroad. The family's business dealings were uncovered after O'Brien, who has since fled the country, and his son were recorded talking about the massive drugs operation.
Detectives bugged their car and overheard them discussing details of the deal.
The court heard the drugs were canned in Peru before being transported to Rotterdam via boat.
Police intercepted the consignment at a warehouse in Amsterdam and arrested a number of the gang.
Kelly, who was in Rotterdam, fled back to the UK but was arrested several days later and charged.
Sir Desmond de Silva QC, defending, said his client had been a legitimate businessman but became involved with crime after suffering depression when he was diagnosed with a liver disease.
Sentencing him, Judge John Roberts said: "This was a conspiracy of great magnitude.
"You were part of a team running an ongoing drug supply business."
He added: "The distribution of drugs like cocaine ruins people's lives. It is an evil drug and those who seek to peddle it can expect to be locked up for a long time."