Two men have been jailed for their roles in one of the UK’s largest ever cocaine seizures. The drugs, which were worth more than £42 million, were landed by boat on the East Yorkshire coast in May, with more than half a tonne (524kg) of cocaine intercepted.
Mark Moran, 22, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, while Daniel Livingstone, 25, received a sentence of seven years and nine months at Hull Crown Court. The men were apprehended by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers after the narcotics were discovered in the back of a hire van in a pub car park.
The court heard that the defendants had purchased an inflatable boat, which they used to pick up the drugs in the North Sea. After landing the cocaine at a caravan site, the men drove to a local pub, where they were arrested.
Prosecutor Angus MacDonald described the cocaine as having an exceptionally high purity of 86-89%, making it one of the largest drug seizures in the UK.
In their defense, Moran’s lawyer argued that he played a minor role in the operation, simply transporting the drugs from the boat to the shore. Livingstone’s lawyer explained that his client had been offered £40,000 for his role due to his financial difficulties.
Judge Mark Bury expressed confusion at how the men, from rural Scotland with no prior criminal records, became involved in the operation.
Moran, of Glenfyne Terrace, Ardrishaig, was convicted of conspiracy to import cocaine, while Livingstone, of Calton Avenue, Campbeltown, pleaded guilty to the same charge. Colombian national Didier Tordecilla Reyes, 39, will be sentenced later for his involvement in the operation.
NCA’s Alan French emphasized the disruption caused to the criminal group, stating that the drugs would have been sold into communities across the UK, but their interception had greatly hindered the group’s profits.
