Cocaine trafficker sentenced to 18 years using Dutch evidence
27 October 2010
In a rare example of a prosecution based on evidence passed to the UK by the Dutch authorities, Timothy Dale has been sentenced to 18 years for masterminding an attempted 37kg cocaine deal. Once cut to street level purity, the drugs would have been worth more than £4.5m.
In September 2007, Dale attempted to buy 37kgs of cocaine for €1m from a British gang located in Amsterdam. Unfortunately for Dale, the gang was already being targeted by the Dutch National Crime Squad (NCS).
Phone calls between Dale and Richard Wright in the Netherlands were intercepted by the Dutch NCS. When Wright arranged for a courier to transport the drugs concealed in the door panels of a Vauxhall Astra, police stopped the car as it approached the Belgian border. A search of the vehicle revealed 37 parcels containing 36.7kgs of cocaine hidden in the purpose built concealment.
All four members of the gang along with the courier were arrested by the Dutch and have since received sentences totalling 26 years.
Under Dutch law, Dale could not be prosecuted for his role in the conspiracy. Identifying the opportunity to frustrate an ongoing drug supply, SOCA contacted the Dutch authorities and agreed a prosecution in the UK. The overwhelming evidence against Dale, who by his own admission has been dealing in drugs for more than 20 years, resulted in his guilty plea at Southwark Crown Court on the 27th October and his subsequent 18 years sentence.
Andy Sellers, Deputy Director for SOCA: said: “International borders can sometimes be more of a barrier to law enforcement than they are to criminals. I’m delighted that, working with our Dutch colleagues, we were able to gain a conviction against someone who has clearly been a significant drug trafficker for some time, and now has a sentence to reflect that.”
Moira MacDaid, senior lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service’s Organised Crime Division, commented: “This case shows that where evidence is gathered by the police abroad it can still be used in courts in England and Wales, even when it includes foreign intercept evidence.
“Faced with this compelling evidence of his criminal behaviour, Timothy Dale had no credible defence to the prosecution case and no option but to plead guilty. This is an excellent example of our building relationships with law enforcement around the world so we can work together to tackle international organised crime.”