A Merseyside man, Eddie Burton, was convicted alongside his ex-partner, Sian Banks, after orchestrating a large-scale drug importation operation, as revealed by a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation. Burton, 23, was implicated in the smuggling of 307 kilograms of heroin, cocaine, and ketamine into the UK in 2022, with an estimated street value of £20 million.
Burton, who had relocated to mainland Europe in 2021, was living between the Netherlands and Spain when the drugs were intercepted at Dover port. Border Force officers discovered the drugs in two separate lorries in the summer of 2022. The first lorry was stopped on July 3, 2022, with 90 kilos of ketamine and 50 kilos of cocaine found concealed in boxes and a shopping bag. The second lorry was intercepted on August 12, 2022, carrying 142 kilos of cocaine and 25 kilos of heroin hidden inside a modified fuel tank.
Evidence, including Burton’s fingerprints and DNA found on both shipments and the adapted fuel tank, led to his involvement in the plot. After being arrested by Spanish police in Ibiza in August 2023, he was extradited to the UK in March 2024 and pleaded guilty to four counts of importing Class A and B drugs.
Sian Banks, 25, also from Liverpool, was found guilty of seven charges, including importing Class A drugs and money laundering. Banks had been actively involved in the operation, making monthly trips to visit Burton between June 2022 and October 2023. She also smuggled drugs into the UK on two occasions in 2022 after visiting Burton in Amsterdam.
The NCA investigation further uncovered a scam in which Banks sold doctored Covid-19 travel documents during the pandemic. The pair will be sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on February 12, 2024.
John Turner, NCA Branch Commander, emphasized the destructive potential of the drugs, stating that the pair’s efforts to smuggle the substances into the UK could have resulted in widespread harm and exploitation in communities.
