Heavy load of prison time for international drugs hauler

1 December 2010

A lorry driver who conspired to import enough cannabis resin for around three quarters of a million street-level deals was sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison.

Stephen Adams loaded over two and a half tonnes of the drug - potentially worth around £7.5m - onto his HGV in Spain and delivered them concealed in pallets of red wine to Essex Freight Movements Ltd, a company managed by co-conspirator David Sowerbutts.

Sowerbutts separated six pallets from the rest, and drove them to another warehouse in Tilbury, Essex. He, Dean Scarfe and another man unloaded the pallets and secured the premises, unaware that acting on information provided by SOCA, Essex Police officers would later search the warehouse and find a total of 2.66 tonnes of cannabis resin.

SOCA’s Trevor Symes said:

"Not for the first time, someone using their work as cover for serious criminal activity is finding out that there’s a hefty price to pay. Adams will see no profit from working for drug dealers, and has received a comparatively long sentence in relation to his co-conspirators who pleaded guilty before trial.

"Anyone convicted of major drugs charges can also expect strict financial and travel restrictions on their release from prison. The message is very clear; it’s not worth getting involved."

As well as being found guilty of the cannabis conspiracy, Adams was convicted of being knowingly concerned in the importation of 3kg of cocaine from the Spanish port of Santander to Plymouth. After being bulked with cutting agents, this could have fetched another £840,000 when distributed at street level in the UK.

David Sowerbutts, Dean Scarfe and another member of the conspiracy, John Greenwood, pleaded guilty to the charges against them. In December 2009, they were sentenced to 8, 6.5 and 5 years in prison respectively.