Punk Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Three US nationals have been convicted after being caught attempting to smuggle large quantities of cannabis into the UK through Heathrow airport. From left to right: Barrington Walters, Mandy Silowka and Kiara Lanee Malone National Crime Agency investigators say the trio, who all arrived in the UK on flights from Los Angeles in January, were arrested in possession of cannabis with a combined estimated street value of more than £1.7 million. Barrington Walters, 24, from Los Angeles, and Mandy Silowka, 34, from Princeton, New Jersey, were both stopped after arriving on the same United Airlines flight from LA on 17 January. Border Force officers found 33 kilos of herbal cannabis in bags belonging to Walters, and a further 26.5 kilos in suitcases checked in by Silowka. After being interviewed by NCA officers the pair were charged with importing class B drugs. At Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday 23 February they both admitted the offence. Silowka received a 12 month custodial sentence, while Walters was given a 10 month jail term. Meanwhile in a hearing at the same court today (24 February) Kiara Lanee Malone, 31, from St Louis, Missouri, pleaded guilty to importing class B drugs. The clothing boutique owner was arrested on 10 January, also having arrived from Los Angeles. 27.5 kilos of cannabis was found in her luggage. Malone told NCA officers that she was travelling to the UK to have cosmetic procedures, and while she had been given the bags to bring to the UK by someone else, she believed they contained clothes rather than drugs. She was remanded in custody to be sentenced on 5 April. NCA Heathrow Branch Commander Andy Noyes said: “These cases serve as further warnings to those who think they can get away with smuggling drugs into the UK. “No matter what you might get told by those organising these trips, you will get caught, and as these individuals will tell you, you will face jail time. “The NCA and our partners in Border Force are determined to do all we can to target drugs couriers, and disrupt the international organised crime groups involved in drug trafficking.” The convictions follow a spate of arrests involving seizures made from flights from the US. Cannabis grown legally in parts of America attracts a premium price in the UK. On Wednesday 22 February 20-year-old US national Isabella Carrasco was arrested following a large cannabis seizure at Edinburgh airport. She had arrived on a flight from LA, via London. Carrasco has been charged and committed to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court next week. The case is being investigated by the Organised Crime Partnership (Scotland), a joint team of NCA and Police Scotland officers. 24 February 2023 https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/three-more-americans-convicted-in-the-uk-for-smuggling-cannabis-on-la-london-flights 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 @mikeydoughnut I had enough trouble carrying 10k...27's a lot of weight to carry...I agree, something not right here 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stu914 Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 6 minutes ago, mikeydoughnut said: Carrying 10k? Piggin hell. How much made it t’ destination None... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boojum Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 (edited) Just a simple bit of working stuff out in my head (I admit I'm shit at maths ) between them Walters and Silowka allegedly had 59.5 kilos (about 9 stone, or just over the average weight of a 15 year old boy). That's equivalent to 59.5 bags of sugar. Herbal cannabis weighs a lost less than sugar by volume, probably less than half but even if it's only half that means they would heve to have been carrying the equivalent volume of almost 120 bags of sugar (probably more like double that). Going by weight it's feasable but going by volume all I can say is they must have had some big fucking suitcases Edited March 5, 2023 by Boojum 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diddy Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 This is this same story we were on about weeks ago ? Only way they got that much in a suitcase is if my misses fucking packed it 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippy One Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 The real crime is prohibiting grown adults from partaking. Like it’s forever 1971. Cunts 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stummer Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Maybe they was on all board as a distraction and someone else managed to get a few keys of charlie over on the next flight. who am I kidding. Let’s be honest a lot of dealers aren’t exactly the smartest of people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest anarchycamp Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Maybe tighter border controls incoming? It's literally the same story as previous, weren't they all Brits though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratdog Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 It's a story to pretend they catch smugglers in general, they catch next to fuck all i bet because the majority is probably palleted in and "paid for" 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simple Jack Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 18 hours ago, Punk said: NCA Heathrow Branch Commander Andy Noyes said: “These cases serve as further warnings to those who think they can get away with smuggling drugs into the UK. “No matter what you might get told by those organising these trips, you will get caught, and as these individuals will tell you, you will face jail time. Cannabis has been smuggled into UK for over fifty years. Some gets intercepted, most of it doesn't. Some smugglers get, caught most don't. Some cannabis users/growers get busted. The majority don't. The war on drugs is an unending series of "victories". The demand for cannabis is inelastic; the refusal to deal with that economic fact is a recipe for social disaster. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy2Hats Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 The sentencing seems quite light (compared to the recommendations in the sentencing guidelines)...if I were in their network it would be squeaky bum time.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diddy Posted March 5, 2023 Share Posted March 5, 2023 Billy there is no way they had that much mate. You CANT even book that much on any flight I have ever been on even the so-called long haul flights. The numbers don't make any sense at all. You can't even pre-book that weight. That sort of weight travels under the freight and gets loaded and collected separately from passengers. You don't get to wheel 30kg's each through the green channel Now is it poor reporting or were there more of them with a more realistic 20kg each(even that would take balls). So how did they manage to even board with suitcases over the common limit. I think a couple of airlines allow 25kg but most are 20kg max. I agree with your thoughts with regard to sentences though, which is why I think there is more to this story than meets the eye. Either there are more of them or they are in the middle of trapping a bigger fish for something maybe not even related to this. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punk Posted March 11, 2023 Author Share Posted March 11, 2023 More on this intriguing story from Vice. I find it odd that they are carrying the equivalent of a sack of spuds thru customs, even with packaging that must smell a bit https://www.vice.com/en/article/v7b4x4/cannabis-smuggling-americans-uk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KC Posted March 11, 2023 Share Posted March 11, 2023 They vacuum pack it, not so much as a whiff then 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnCleese420 Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Why? If there is demand for well grown cannabis, why not just smuggle in the clones and grow it here. A lightbulb in California is no different than a lightbulb in the UK. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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