N.Z. drug runner jailed in London

Press, 23 June 1978, Page 3

N.Z. drug runner jailed in London

NZPA London A New Zealander, aged 25, has been sentenced to two : years imprisonment for his part in an attempt to smuggle into the United Kingdom about a kilogram of high-quality cocaine, worth almost $200,000. Julian Shaun Webb, a security technician, of Auckland, was sentenced in London’s Knightsbridge Crown Court by Judge J. H. E. 'Mendl, who had earlier said he would substantially reduce the severity of the sen- | tence in recognition of the part Webb had played in securing the arrest of two other New Zealanders ac- ; cused of involvement in the 'smuggling attempt. Webb, who was charged jointly with Michael George Moore, aged 24. of Auckland, and William Paul Has* ; lett, aged 25, of Wellington,! ) had earlier pleaded guilty to. ) a charge of importing a pro-, Ihibited drug — 869 grams of, I cocaine. Under normal circum-j I stances, his sentence will be' reduced by eight months fori good behaviour. I Moore also pleaded guilty I to the charge, but Haslett) [pleaded not guilty. He will) I be tried separately today or! (early next week. All three accused pleaded! (not guilty to a charge of! (conspiring to import prohib-i lited drugs — but that! I charge will not be proceeded) 'with against Webb or; | Moore. Haslett faces a third (charge, which he also de-: )nied, of involvement in the! | fraudulent evasion of Brit-, iain’s drug laws. The three men have been; (held in custody in London’s) 'Brixton and Pentonville pris-j (ons, since their arrest in! mid-February. I Webb was tried separately) (after Judge Mendl had been) told he would probably be) 'called later as a Crown wit-1 )ness. j, I The prosecuting counsel,) (Mr Evan Stone, told the' (Court that cocaine sold “on) the street” was usually di-. (luted to only 30 per cent) purity, but' still fetched)' : about £4O ($72) a gram. ) The cocaine found on) Webb had been analysed at) 1 a purity level of 80 per cent!. — giving a street value of!' £92,693 ($165,920). (' The Court’was told that' Webb had arrived at Gat-) wick Airport, south of Lon-)' ! don, from the Peruvian capi-i tai of Lima on February 2.) He had gone through the red (something to deciare) channel in the Customs area, and,. : had declared cigarettes and)' other minor items. His New! Zealand passport had shown! | he had travelled to Bolivia), and Chile and he has been;: told he would be fully, searched. 1 1 Asked to remove his calf-! length boots during the sub-)! sequent search, Webb hadit

11 said: “Weil, you had better ~ call the police," and pro- ’»( duced two plastic packets ) from the boots, containing 5 the cocaine. Webb had admitted his in--3 volvement and told the police and Customs he t would co-operate. Following the instructions "he had been given before leaving New Zealand some ■(days before, he had telephoned his wife in Auckland " who was to pass on a mes--1 sage to Moore that he had • arrived safely and had ’ checked into a hotel. He was taken by the " police and Customs men to ? a hotel in London’s Cromwell Road — an area near ’-Earls Court crammed with 'small, relatively cheap hotels — where he was detained. i The deception which followed was described by the -police as an outstanding ‘(example of co-operation be-) y tween the police and Cus-i ’items officials in Britain and ;!New Zealand. Moore had arrived as expected on February 5, having travelled from Auckland ’(via the United States. He had been kept under obseri vation from the time he left ) the aircraft to his arrival at '(the Penta Hotel where Webb [was staying. He had been followed to! (Chelsea where he got in) ‘(touch with Haslett, and had! 'been under surveillance later [when he approached Webb ;(and obtained a sample of the ('cocaine —most of which had (been substituted by the police, leaving only a small quantity of genuine cocaine. 1 During the next three, days, Webb had remained I alone in the hotel roqm — having apparently success-) (fully brought the cocaine (into the United Kingdom —) (while the hotel was; “swamped” with more than. ) 30 police and Customs) (officers, including a surveil-i (lance team in an adjoining! (room who could both hear!, ,-and see everything that) (went on. Once they were satisfied) (that sufficient evidence had (been amassed against Moore!' land Haslett, both men were 'arrested. * In his statement to the) police, parts of which were) (read in court, Webb said he; had known Moore socially,) iand had been introduced to: (cocaine by him. ( He had been coerced into (making the trip after threats) I had been made to his wife; ,and family, and threats that) (his involvement would be) ; revealed to his employers,! (who were involved in' the! I fitting of security alarms ( land safe systems. ) He had travelled through. (Fiji, Rarotonga, and Tahiti; ; to Chile with $5OOO from [ (Moore to buy cocaine in 80-) Tivia. His ticket had also' been paid for by Moore. Once he had arrived in -Britain, “my obvious in-ii iexperience and ineptitudes

r were immediately detected - by the Customs,” Webb said, siin his statement. J Detective Sergeant 1. Eames, of Scotland Yard’s -.drug squad, told the Court it J!was accepted that the ar- ? rangements for Webb to go Ito South America, buy the >, cocaine and come to the -(United Kingdom were made *iby others, that Webb had -(been pressured into taking lithe assignment, and that he ’lstood to make no significant) 11 personal gain from the sale 1 of the drug. Passing sentence Judge ? j Mendl. said that the offence • was regarded in Britain, (“with the utmost gravity.” ‘i “It carries in every case 1 but the most exceptional, a 'ivery, very heavy custodial •(sentence,” he said. “In this case I have decided I can mitigate this : lvery substantially, because >|of the ready co-operaticm ■-you have given the authorities,” he told Webb. But for Webb’s assistance. Moore would never have left New Zealand for the United Kingdom. Webb had engaged: Moore in conversation, sup-1 plied him with the small re-1 maining quantity erf genuine; cocaine, and had carried on! the deception over a period) 'lof days without at any stage ) revealing the surveillance of 'the authorities. Judge Mendl said. [