Essex drug traffickers thwarted by UK Border Force officers at Glasgow Airport and sentenced at High Court in Inverness
Two drug traffickers who tried to smuggle cannabis with a street value of almost £600,000 into Scotland on a flight from Canada have been jailed for a total of five years and six months.
Jamaal Darbasie (27) and George Manton (19) were stopped by UK Border Force officers when they arrived at Glasgow Airport from Toronto on March 10 last year.
Each man was carrying two suitcases which were later found to contain cannabis hidden inside 120 vacuum-sealed packages.
They were sentenced at the High Court in Inverness after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of controlled drugs.
Darbasie was jailed for three years while Manton will spend 30 months behind bars.
Moira Orr, who leads on major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This was a substantial attempt to bring a significant quantity of illegal and harmful drugs through Scotland.
“Jamaal Darbasie and George Manton have now been held accountable thanks to an extensive Border Force operation, working with COPFS, to investigate and interrupt a network of drug supply.
“With each case of this kind we can help reduce the harm that these drugs inflict on communities.
“We are targeting all people who threaten communities across Scotland, not only drug couriers but also those who direct their movements.”
Darbasie and Manton, both of Harlow, Essex, were stopped by Border Force officers in the nothing-to-declare lane at the airport’s arrivals zone. Their suitcases were searched and the drugs, weighing a total of 60kg, were discovered inside the sealed packages.
Specialist officers estimated that if sub-divided the Class B drugs would have a street value of £592,716. Each of the cases also contained an Apple airtag tracker device.
