Laos drug conviction challenged – BBC News
“Lawyers representing a pregnant British woman convicted of drug smuggling in Laos have demanded her release, calling her trial there ‘a sham’.”
BBC News, 26th August 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: drug trafficking
Jailed drug dealer gets 18-year sentence for running cocaine ring from his cell – The Guardian
“Two prisoners ran an international cocaine ring from their jail cells in England and Panama, a court heard today.”
The Guardian, 18th August 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Men jailed over drugs and torture – BBC News
“Two men described as being ‘at the top of an evil pyramid’ of drug dealers who tortured their runners to make sure they obeyed, have been jailed.”
BBC News, 5th August 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Immigration rules are a drain on the country, says Judge Ian Trigger – Daily Telegraph
“Judge Ian Trigger has described Britain’s immigration system as ‘completely lax’ and claimed it partly contributed to rising national debt.”
Daily Telegraph, 29th July 2009
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Man jailed for trying to smuggle cocaine in trainers – UK Border Agency
“A Spanish man who tried to smuggle 2.8kg of cocaine – worth an estimated £112,000 – into the United Kingdom has been jailed for 11 years.”
UK Border Agency, 22nd July 2009
Source: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
Man jailed for role in drug ring – BBC News
“The first man to be extradited from Colombia to the UK has been jailed for five-and-a-half years for helping a drugs ring launder its huge profits.”
BBC News, 29th June 2009
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Regina v Islam – Times Law Reports
House of Lords
“It was consistent with both the language and spirit of the statutory scheme for making confiscation orders for the importation of prohibited drugs to take account of the black market value of such drugs when valuing the benefit obtained by the defendant at the time of their illegal importation.”
Times Law Reports, 12th June 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
R v Islam – WLR Daily
R v Islam [2009] UKHL 30; [2009] WLR (D) 177
“When assessing the ‘market value’ of goods for the purposes of making a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the court was not restricted to looking at the value of the goods in a legitimate market but was required to look at the nature of the goods and the context it which the assessment was being made. If the only market in which the goods in question could be bought and sold was an illegitimate one, the court was entitled to take account of the price which a willing buyer would pay to a willing seller in that illegitimate market in order to assess the benefit obtained by the defendant.”
WLR Daily, 10th June 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Former England cricketer Chris Lewis gets 13 years for cocaine smuggling – The Guardian
“Former England cricketer Chris Lewis was today jailed for 13 years for smuggling liquid cocaine valued at more than £140,000 into Britain hidden in fruit juice tins in his cricket bag.”
The Guardian, 20th May 2009
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Data Protection Act should not be defamation substitute, says High Court judge – OUT-LAW.com
“The Data Protection Act should not be a backup plan in failed defamation cases, a High Court judge has said. Mr Justice Eady has rejected a claim that an allegedly libellous statement was also a breach of the privacy law.”
OUT-LAW.com, 11th May 2009
Source: www.out-law.com
R v Briggs-Price – WLR Daily
R v Briggs-Price [2009] UKHL 19; [2009] WLR (D) 142
“A confiscation order could be made under the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 in respect of benefit derived from drug trafficking other than that of which the defendant had been convicted which had been established by evidence during the trial.”
WLR Daily, 1st May 2009
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Regina v Briggs-Price – Times Law Reports
House of Lords
“A confiscation order could be made against a convicted drug trafficker in respect of benefit received from other drug trafficking which had not been charged on the indictment but which had been established by evidence during the trial.”
The Times, 30th April 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Regina v Winters – Times Law Reports
Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)
“For the purpose of making the required assumptions in order to determine whether a defendant had benefited from drug trafficking, the Crown was required to prove on the balance of probabilities that the defendant had made payments out of payments received by him in connection with his drug trafficking. Prima facie evidence that the defendant had incurred such expenditure was insufficient.”
The Times, 12th January 2009
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
R v Winters – WLR Daily
R v Winters:[2008] EWCA Crim 2953; [2008] WLR (D) 387
“For the purpose of making the required assumptions in relation to determining whether the defendant had benefited from drug trafficking, the Crown was required to prove on the balance of probabilities that expenditure on mortgage payments was incurred by the defendant out of payments received by him in connection with his drug trafficking. Prima facie evidence that the defendant had incurred such expenditure was insufficient.”
WLR Daily, 15th December 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Judge unaware of ‘bogus’ claims – BBC News
“A judge has said he would not have recommended two drug-smugglers be freed from jail if he had known details they gave of hidden guns had been bogus.”
BBC News, 3rd November 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Grandmother jailed for smuggling cocaine worth £1m into UK – The Guardian
“A grandmother who smuggled cocaine worth £1m into the UK in her mobility vehicle was today jailed along with her daughter for 13 years.”
The Guardian, 6th October 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Gibson v Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office – Times Law Reports
Gibson v Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office
Court of Appeal
“When a confiscation order was made against a convicted drug dealer, his wife was entitled to keep her 50 per cent interest in the matrimonial home, despite a finding in the confiscation proceedings that she had guilty knowledge of the source of her husband’s wealth. The court had no power to supplement the provisions of the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 so as to bring her share of the equity in the matrimonial home within the order.”
The Times, 14th July 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Please note the Times Law Reports are only available free on Times Online for 21 days from the date of publication.
Gibson v Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office – WLR Daily
Gibson v Revenue and Customs Prosecution Office [2008] EWCA Civ 645; [2008] WLR (D) 189
“The wife of a convicted drug dealer was entitled to keep her interest in the matrimonial home despite a finding in confiscation proceedings that she had guilty knowledge of the source of her husband’s wealth. The Drug Trafficking Act 1994 did not give the court power to bring her share of the equity in the matrimonial home within the confiscation order, since the assets were hers without any court order in her favour.”
WLR Daily, 12th June 2008
Source: www.lawreports.co.uk
Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.
Revealed: how drugs trade took hold of British prisons – The Guardian
“The government says it’s under control but a devastating new report reveals that a sophisticated new drugs trade is flooding British prisons with record levels of cocaine, cannabis and even heroin. In many cases it’s aided and abetted by corrupt prison guards. Jamie Doward reports.”
The Guardian, 8th June 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Major UK drug gang jailed – The Independent
“Five drug dealers, who pocketed millions flooding the country with amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy, were jailed for up to 14 years each today.”
The Independent, 23rd May 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
