Great Drugs Bust...but...
- 19 May 2008 10:042306
Press Release from HMC and UK Border Agency
HM REVENUE & CUSTOMS/UKBA REGIONAL MEDIA BRIEFING
COCAINE SEIZED AT DOVER - LANCASHIRE MAN CHARGED
Officers from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in Dover have seized approximately 7 kilos of cocaine worth about £280,000 and a small quantity of amphetamine worth about £40.
On Saturday 17 May, a lorry carrying fork lift trucks and a pallet of hammers arrived at Dover's Eastern Docks on a ferry from Calais. It was being driven by a 41 year-old man from Lancashire. During a search of the trailer, UKBA officers discovered the cocaine hidden in a cardboard box on one of the fork lift trucks. A small quantity of amphetamine sulphate, about 4 grammes, was also found in the cab of the vehicle.
Following the detection, the case was passed to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) Criminal Investigation officers to continue enquiries. The driver of the vehicle, Craig John WARDLEWORTH of 11 Brigsteer Close, Accrington, Lancashire, was interviewed and subsequently charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into the UK. Wardleworth was released on conditional bail and is due to appear before Dover Magistrates on Thursday 22 May 2008. Enquiries are continuing.
Carole Upshall, Regional Director South of UKBA said:
"This is another excellent result. We will continue to work with our partners in HMRC to tackle the smugglers who attempt to bring goods illegally into the UK. Smugglers are criminals who are only out to make a profit; they do not care about the harm that they cause by smuggling whether its drugs, dangerous counterfeit cigarettes or illegal immigrants"
Bob Gaiger, HM Revenue & Customs spokesman in the South East said:
"Vigilance by UKBA officers has prevented these drugs from reaching their destination. UKBA and HMRC will continue to work to the Government's aim of reducing the availability of Class A drugs. Anyone with information about activity they suspect may be linked to drug smuggling should call the HMRC 24-hour hotline on 0800 59 5000. "
ENDS 19/05/2008email: dover7@msn.com - 19 May 2008 10:132307The reason for the BUT on this thread title is this...we have on the one hand these UK Border Agency guys getting good results and the new combined force seems to have kicked into full gear very fast...but what happens when in some cases the drugs do get through. We have the laughing stock of a situation where Amy Winehouse can be seen on vdeo, on television, on the internet, in the newspapers, smoking crack cocaine and nobody does a damn thing about it.
The police wont prosecute. Bizarre situation, is it not?
I wonder if the UK Border Agency are frustrated by this apparent apathy. On the one hand they get good results and on the other hand nobody apears to give a 'monkeys' about celebs drug abusing to their hearts content.
The sad fact is that Amy Winehouse is what most teenage girls want to be when they grow that bit older..as was reported last week in a poll.email: dover7@msn.com - 19 May 2008 19:562316Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty make my blood boil. Our kids are watching them and I suppose some will think they are cool. This means drugs become cool and all the kids think they will get away with it because nobody seems to get punished (or not very much in PD's case). Did you see the mouse video this pair made? The only word that springs to mind is idiots and the sooner they are dealt with in the same way as everyone else the better.
Drugs are easy enough to get hold of without making them look like part of the fame lifestyle that lots of kids will aspire to.
- 19 May 2008 22:452319surely the people we want banged up are the dealers?
i agree about our stars setting an example, but there is no evidence that they knock out crack at the school gates. - 20 May 2008 07:242323They create the demand for Crack at the school gates and that's the problem Howard. Impressionable young people see these popstar dopeheads flaunting this type of lifestyle on the mass media, and whats worse getting away with it. The celeb culture, even with 2 bit celebs, is more influential than ever before. Even the lowliest of stupid tv show has to have the celeb angle to make it popular.email: dover7@msn.com
- 20 May 2008 09:082329I agree with you PaulB. The so called celebrities being so brazen about their habit are setting an example that will cause misery to many impressionable people.
I find it sad how this cult of celebrity is so influential. Driven by various setions of the media as it is. We need a much more responsible attitude from the 'celebs' and more so from the media. - 20 May 2008 09:142330We need a broader acceptance of rights and responsibilities across the board! It has been a steady deterioration over recent years from socially accepted responsibilites to a "me" "want" culture - Rights have been escalated (quite rightly!) but Responsibilites haven't foloowed the natural parallel. There cannot be one without the other otherwise we have what we have now - peoples "wants" being more important than our "duty" - what a lvely old fashioned word!!!
- 20 May 2008 10:472332Totally right Bern. I am not so sure more 'rights' was what was needed, as we had plenty of those before 1997. The legislation since has boosted rights but said nothing about responsibilities and hence the dreadful imbalance we have now.