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24/07/2006
Colombian cocaine gang jailed for 57 years
A Colombian cocaine gang living in London have been jailed for a total of 57 years at Southwark Crown Court.
The gang of three men and two women were convicted of harbouring 108 kilos of cocaine worth £7.2 million.
Six people had originally been charged with harbouring a controlled drug. Two men - Alexander Anoyave Agudelo, 30, from Tottenham and Hector Fabio Correa Rios, 31, from Stoke Newington - pleaded guilty to the charge, while another man and two women - Victor Maurizio Gonzalez Justinico, 26, from Finchley, Liliana Andrea Garces-Rossero, 31, from Palmers Green and Omaira Zuluaga Giraldo, 32, from Stoke Newington - were found guilty following a six-week long trial in April.
A fourth man was acquitted.
At sentencing on Friday, Justinico was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment, Garces-Rossero was sentenced to 17 years, Agudelo was sentenced to 12 years and Giraldo was sentenced to 7 years. Sentencing of Rios was adjourned until a later date.
The court heard that, following a surveillance operation in April 2005, the defendants were arrested after customs officers stopped a car driven by Agudelo in Stoke Newington.
Around 25 kilos of cocaine, contained in two holdalls, were found during a search of the vehicle. The customs officers then went to a flat in Heather Lodge, St Kilda's Road, Stoke Newington and recovered a further 83 kilos of cocaine.
Commenting on the convictions, Clive Davis, HM Revenue & Customs Assistant Chief Investigation Officer, said: "This is the successful culmination of an investigation into the importation of cocaine into the UK from South America. HM Revenue & Customs is committed to reducing the availability of Class A drugs by detecting and deterring the smuggling of illegal drugs and other restricted and prohibited goods.
"We have succeeded in stopping over £7 million worth of drugs reaching our streets. The criminality surrounding Class A drugs can devastate communities. We will reduce the harm caused by drugs, taking out cocaine and heroin targeted on the UK, and disrupting the criminal gangs who seek to profit from it."
(KMcA/SP)
The gang of three men and two women were convicted of harbouring 108 kilos of cocaine worth £7.2 million.
Six people had originally been charged with harbouring a controlled drug. Two men - Alexander Anoyave Agudelo, 30, from Tottenham and Hector Fabio Correa Rios, 31, from Stoke Newington - pleaded guilty to the charge, while another man and two women - Victor Maurizio Gonzalez Justinico, 26, from Finchley, Liliana Andrea Garces-Rossero, 31, from Palmers Green and Omaira Zuluaga Giraldo, 32, from Stoke Newington - were found guilty following a six-week long trial in April.
A fourth man was acquitted.
At sentencing on Friday, Justinico was sentenced to 21 years imprisonment, Garces-Rossero was sentenced to 17 years, Agudelo was sentenced to 12 years and Giraldo was sentenced to 7 years. Sentencing of Rios was adjourned until a later date.
The court heard that, following a surveillance operation in April 2005, the defendants were arrested after customs officers stopped a car driven by Agudelo in Stoke Newington.
Around 25 kilos of cocaine, contained in two holdalls, were found during a search of the vehicle. The customs officers then went to a flat in Heather Lodge, St Kilda's Road, Stoke Newington and recovered a further 83 kilos of cocaine.
Commenting on the convictions, Clive Davis, HM Revenue & Customs Assistant Chief Investigation Officer, said: "This is the successful culmination of an investigation into the importation of cocaine into the UK from South America. HM Revenue & Customs is committed to reducing the availability of Class A drugs by detecting and deterring the smuggling of illegal drugs and other restricted and prohibited goods.
"We have succeeded in stopping over £7 million worth of drugs reaching our streets. The criminality surrounding Class A drugs can devastate communities. We will reduce the harm caused by drugs, taking out cocaine and heroin targeted on the UK, and disrupting the criminal gangs who seek to profit from it."
(KMcA/SP)
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